Please note the following service changes.
Saturdays
Riverdale (150 Violet Drive): 11:15 am-12:15 pm (previously stopped on Tuesdays at 11 am-12 pm)
Discovery Centre (Pier 8, Seasonal): 2:30-4 pm (new time)
Bookmobile Service Modifications
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Bookmobile Stop:
Published:
Friday, January 9, 2026 - 10:00am
Terryberry Branch - Elevator Out of Order
The Branch is open today, Friday, January 9. Our elevator by the parking lot entrance is out of order.
To use our second elevator, enter through the Mohawk Road entrance (which features a ramp) and use the elevator located in the middle of the building. The estimated time of disruption is unknown. Thank you for your understanding.
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Published:
Friday, January 9, 2026 - 12:00am
Online Resources - Update
The following eResources have been recently discontinued in our HPL collections: Novelist, Summa, Summa Kids, and Northstar Digital Literacy. Please visit www.hpl.ca/articles/read-watch-listen for our full listing of online resources for your next read, watch, listen and/or learn.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 11:00am
Waterdown Branch Accessible Door Out of Order
The accessibility door at Waterdown Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
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Published:
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 12:00pm
Printing Updates
Daily print balances for black and white and colour printing change January 2, 2026. The new daily print balance is 40 cents. Members receive four free black and white copies or two free colour copies.
Large format and vinyl printing pricing also change on January 2. Visit https://www.hpl.ca/makerspaces for updates.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees
Bring back your borrowed library items within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
Hamilton Reads Short Story Contest
Thank you to everyone who entered the inaugural Hamilton Reads Short Story contest. The winners will be announced soon. You can also read their stories on our site. Stay tuned for details about next year's writing competition.
Presented by McMaster University Libraries, McMaster Office of Community Engagement, Hamilton Public Library and Mohawk College Library.
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Cost: Free
Prizes: $200 for first place and $100 for two runners-up in each of three categories (college or university student; senior (55+), and HPL Member) with publication of stories on hpl.ca and an invitation to read at Hamilton Reads closing ceremonies.
Theme/Genre: Fictional short stories of 2,000 words or less. Must contain a theme within the Hamilton Reads 2025 book All You Can Kill by Pasha Malla or written in any genre of the book: satire, humour, horror or absurdism.
Eligibility
- Writers must live in the Hamilton Public Library service area. Writers who live in communities with reciprocal borrowing privileges at HPL are not eligible.
- Entries are not returned.
Guidelines
- Unpublished Work: Only unpublished works are accepted. All entrants must submit a piece of writing that has NEVER been published before in any form, including social media, blogs or websites. Entrants may be professional writers; or creative writers who have never had their work published before.
- AI Work: AI-written, supported or generated pieces are not accepted.
- Formatting: Use 12-point standard font (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) and double-space all pages. Formats may be Word, PDF or plain text.
- Entry Categories: The awards program is open to anyone in the Hamilton Public Library service area and there are three categories of entrants. Entrants may enter one work in one category only. Entrants in each category will be judged within their category and will be able to select their category on the entry form. Categories are:
- College and/or University Student
- Senior (55 +)
- Hamilton Public Library Member (entrants who are not within the above two categories and have a Hamilton Public Library card)
- One entry per entrant: All entrants are invited to submit ONE piece of writing that has NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE.
- ‘Blind judging’: Your name must appear ONLY on your entry form, not on the work you submit. Jurors will read the works without knowing the names of the authors.
- Publication Rights: Winning authors agree to have their stories published on hpl.ca. Copyright reverts to the author thereafter.
Prizes
- Prizes are awarded in each category
- In each category: First prize: $200; Two runners-up: $100 each
- Each winner and runner-up will have their story published on hpl.ca and will be invited to read an excerpt from their work at the Hamilton Reads closing ceremony in November 2025 (date TBD).
All entrants will be notified of the results via email by Nov 21, 2025
Judging
Short stories will be judged by a panel of judges from Hamilton Public Library, McMaster University and Mohawk College, as well as local author, David Neil Lee.
Submissions: Enter online below. The deadline to submit is October 31, 2025, 11:59 pm.
