April 10, 2024 is National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day).  

National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day) celebrates library outreach and the dedicated Library professionals who are meeting their Members where they are. 

Whether it's a bookmobile visit at the local elementary school, services provided to community homes, or library pop-ups at community gatherings, library services are essential to the Hamilton community. Each year, National Library Outreach Day is celebrated on the Wednesday of National Library Week.  

Our Library on wheels is a very special and unique part of HPL’s public services, allowing Staff to go beyond the brick and mortar and connect with our many surrounding communities in the city of Hamilton. 

The first time there was a mention of having a travelling branch for the Hamilton Public Library was in an article in The Globe & Mail dated November 16, 1949. 

Then Chief Librarian Freda Waldon mentioned the idea of having a travelling Branch whose chief function was to serve outlying areas beyond a one-mile radius from existing Library branches. It wasn’t until May 7, 1954, that talks of a possible bookmobile were discussed in the city council. 

Two years later, on December 20, 1956, the first Bookmobile rolled onto the streets of Hamilton. In a Hamilton Spectator article dated January 5, 1957, they talked about how the five (5) stops of the Bookmobile were so popular among the children, citing the example of one boy who went back five times, each time bringing someone with him and encouraging them to register for a Library card. Another proof of the Bookmobile’s popularity was its February 1957 circulation exceeding that of the Main Library’s circulation. 

Today, Hamilton Public Library visits many communities throughout the week, as well as festivals and events throughout the year. Check the Bookmobile at one of its many visits in your local neighbourhood.  

To celebrate Hamilton's Library on wheels, download, print, decorate, fold and glue the HPL Bookmobile Paper Craft.