HPL's online payment service is not working. We aim to restore it quickly. Apologies for the inconvenience.
SmartPay Service Not Available
Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 2:15pm
Bookmobile Service Modification
Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of June. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Bookmobile Service June Modifications
Tuesday, June 2:
- McMaster University - Cancelled
Friday, June 5:
- Winona - Cancelled
- Queen Victoria - Cancelled
Saturday, June 6:
- All Regular Sites are Cancelled due to a Special Event
Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 12:00pm
Bookmobile Service Update
With the cancellation of Touch-A-Truck, Bookmobile will instead visit its regularly scheduled Saturday sites at Stoney Creek Arena, Riverdale and Discovery Centre. www.hpl.ca/bookmobile
Published:
Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 2:30pm
Central Library - Fax Machine Out of Order
Please note that the fax machine is currently out of order. The estimated time of repair is unknown. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 12:00pm
Staff Professional Development Day - All Branches Closed
All HPL Branches are closed on Friday May 29, for Staff Professional Development. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access service is not available. Regular service hours resume on Saturday May 30.
Visit our Virtual Branch at hpl.ca for our online resources and collections.
Published:
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 12:00pm
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor
Renovations are currently underway for the 2nd Floor Central Children's Area. Programs are still being offered as scheduled and there is a temporary pop-up Children’s Area on the northeast side of the 2nd Floor (near the Piano Room), including access to collections and train tables. Construction is expected to be completed by late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
Sherwood Branch: Renovations
As of Monday, March 2, Sherwood Branch's 2nd Floor is closed due to renovations. Makerspace, Children and Teen's collection are temporarily available on the 1st Floor. All programs will be held in the basement program room. Renovations are expected to be completed in late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 1:00pm
Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway Locomotive #51 “Oberon”
The Great Western Railway Company of Canada Papers (1862-1879) were presented to the Hamilton Public Library by Mr. Frank Jones in September 1966, along with an interesting story about their being saved from destruction, as recounted below:
"In November 1963, a Canadian National Railway storehouse at the foot of Queen Street North in Hamilton was destroyed with all of its contents by order of the railway management. The storehouse contained all of the papers and records of the Great Western Railway Company of Canada from, probably, about 1854 until its absorption by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1882.
Employees of the Steel Company of Canada at their Ontario Works, which property adjoins the railway yard, picked up a few sheets which had blown onto the Steel Company property and brought them to Mr. Frank Jones of the Industrial Relations General Office. Realizing their value and historical importance, Mr. Jones at once made enquiries about the preservation of the rest of the records, but by that time it was too late.
Thus the early railroad paylists, casualty reports, time sheets, and in fact, most of the papers connected with the beginning of the railroad history in Hamilton were destroyed by persons in authority who lacked all sense of the value of early railroad documents.
The papers were presented to the Hamilton Public Library in September of 1966 by Mr. Frank Jones."
Mary Harrington Farmer
September 1966
1. Pay lists
Dec. 21, 1862 - Jan. 3, 1863 Windsor inside loco dept. - 1
Jan. 4 - 17, 1863 Mechanical dept. - 2
Jan. 4 - 17, 1863 Windsor inside loco dept. - 3
Jan. 18 - 31, 1863 Mechanical dept. - 4
Jan. 18 - 31, 1863 Windsor inside loco dept. - 5
Feb. 1 - 14, 1863 Mechanical dept. - 6
Feb. 1 - 14, 1863 Hamilton inside loco dept. - 7 to 12
Jan. 4 - 17, 1863 Hamilton inside loco dept. - 13 to 18
Jan. 18 - 31, 1863 Hamilton inside loco dept. - 19 to 24
Jan. 4 - 17, 1863 Niagara Toronto inside loco dept. - 25
Jan. 4 - 17, 1863 London inside loco dept. - 26
Jan. 18 - 31, 1863 Niagara toronto inside loco dept. - 27
Jan. 18 - 31, 1863 London inside loco dept. - 28
2. a. Time Sheets
Pages 29 to 75
August 1875
October 1875
December 1875
February 1876
April 1876
June 1876
August 1876
For:
E. Burk
W. Pouley
W. Steers
J. Lister
C. Farr
M. Mullin
A. Collins
2. b. Time Sheets
Pages 76 to 103
May 1878
July 1878
September 1878
November 1878
January 1879
March 1879
May 1879
For:
W. McLean
J. Sullavan
E. Richardson
H.F. Kivell
J. McGrory
E.L. Richardson
A. McDonald
J. Males
G. Bunn
J. Brierley
M. McCardall
3. Engine drivers' returns
Aug. 6, 1881 Engine no. 116 - 104
Aug. 6, 1881 Engine no. 344 - 105
Aug. 7, 1881 Engine no. 344 - 106
Aug. 8, 1881 Engine no. 344 - 107
Aug. 8, 1881 Engine no. 116 - 108
4. Casualty reports
July 11, 1874 Hamilton station - 109 to 110
Feb. 25, 1876 St. Thomas station - 111 to 112
5. Telegraphic train order
Dec. 24, 18-- Order to train no. 12 at Galt - 113
-------- Printed instructions to train
operators, by C. Stiff,
superintendent - 114
