Ancaster Branch Women's Washroom Out of Order - April 15

The women's washroom at Ancaster Branch will be unavailable on April 15 while undergoing maintenance.

Published:

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - 5:00pm

Printing Unavailable at Greensville Branch

Printing is not working at Greensville Branch. We aim to fix it as soon as possible.

Published:

Monday, April 13, 2026 - 6:15pm

Concession Branch - Renovations Underway

Renovations are expected to be completed by May 7. Construction repairs and noise may impact your next visit. Thank you for your understanding.

Published:

Monday, April 13, 2026 - 1:15pm

Turner Park - Study Hall Cancellations

Due to maintenance and construction, Study Hall is cancelled on Thursdays, April 16 and 23 (8pm-Midnight). The parking lot will also not be available on Thursday, April 23 (10pm-5am) and Friday, April 24 (10pm-5am). We apologize for the inconvenience.

Published:

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 2:30pm

Mount Hope Branch - Delayed Opening, Monday, May 4

Due to Staff training, Mount Hope Branch will have a delayed opening of 2 pm on Monday, May 4. You may visit Turner Park Branch as the next nearest location for your library needs. Thank you for your patience.

Published:

Friday, March 27, 2026 - 8:00am

Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor, March 30-April 27

Starting March 30, renovations for the 2nd floor Central Children's Area will begin. Programs will still be offered as scheduled and there will be 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. Thank you for your patience during this time.

Published:

Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am

Bookmobile Service Modifications

Due to driver availability, Bookmobile is off the road for the following. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thursday, April 16

Rockton 10:30-11:30 am - Cancelled
Mohawk Gardens 2:30-3 pm - Cancelled
Meadowlands 3:30-4 pm - Cancelled

Tuesday, April 21

Greencedar 5:30pm-6:30pm (instead of 4-5pm)
Mountview 5:30-6:30 pm - Cancelled

Friday, April 24

Winona 11 am-Noon - Cancelled
Maplewood 2:30-4 pm - Cancelled

Tuesday, April 28

McMaster 3:30-4:30 pm - Cancelled

Wednesday, April 29

Swansea 10-10:30 am - Cancelled
Helen Detwiler 11 am-Noon - Cancelled
Warplane Museum 3-4 pm - Cancelled

Published:

Monday, March 16, 2026 - 10:15am

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

Local History and Archives Policy

Loans

Materials from the Local History and Archives collection may be loaned to other institutions or organizations only under the following circumstances:

Authorization is obtained from the Manager, Local History and Archives (or designate).

Documentation is provided for the loan.

The borrower ensures adequate insurance, display, care and handling of the material on loan. If at any time Local History and Archives determines that the material on loan is not being cared for adequately, the Manager, Local History and Archives (or designate) may cancel the loan and request the immediate return of the material.

Digital Preservation

A responsive and relevant archive requires ongoing adaptation to technological change to ensure present-day records are safe and accessible for the people of Hamilton in the future. Digital information is important to our collective culture, knowledge base and history. Recognizing that analog and digital media both have different long-term preservation needs, Local History and Archives supports the active digital preservation systems and practices required to ensure a duty of care is extended to born digital and digitized material.

Collections Representation

Hamilton Public Library's Local History and Archives collections do not yet fully represent the many people and voices that make up Hamilton. The Archives is committed to a concerted effort to recognize, reflect, and amplify diverse voices and perspectives.

Records and descriptions of material held by Local History and Archives contain language or depictions of people which includes problematic wording, cultural references and stereotypes that are no longer used or appropriate today. The presence of materials in the Local History and Archives collection does not constitute an endorsement of their content or viewpoints.

Local History and Archives will actively update archival descriptions, contextualize records and develop a collection that illustrates the history of all Hamilton’s peoples.

Reappraisal and Deaccession

Material added to the Local History and Archives collection shall be held until such time as it is deemed to no longer fit the approved acquisitions policy and is deaccessioned. All information pertaining to the deaccessioning and disposition of material will be retained in the Archives' records.

Guiding Principles for Reappraisal and Deaccession

Archivists must use professional judgment when reappraising collections. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Although it is an important collection management tool, reappraisal does not always lead to deaccessioning.
To ensure consistency, the process should be systematic and both procedure and outcomes thoroughly documented.
Reappraisal and deaccession is a responsible archival practice for better management of collections.

Considerations for Reappraisal and Deaccession

Legal issues of ownership of collections.
Ethical issues regarding the disposition of collections in a transparent manner.
Donor relations.
Resource allocation.

Conflict of Interest

As per the Library Board’s Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy, Local History and Archives library employees will not formally, through trade or purchase for their own personal use, enjoyment, or profit, collect for their personal benefit archival materials which fall within the broad acquisition mandate of Local History and Archives.