Modified Bookmobile Service - September 15-18

Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications. Thank you for your patience.

Monday, September 15

Mohawk College, 12-1pm - Cancelled

Tuesday, September 16

Greencedar, 4-5pm - Cancelled

Wednesday, September 17

Helen Detwiler - Changed to 11-11:30am

Thursday, September 18

Meadowlands - Changed to 3:30-4pm
Bennetto - Changed to 4:45-5:30pm

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Affected Branch: Bookmobile

Nearest Branches:

Bookmobile Stop:

Published:

Friday, September 12, 2025 - 3:00pm

Replacement and Damage Fees Resume October 1st

To avoid a replacement or lost fee, please return library materials due October 1st or later within 28 days. Replacement fees are intended to encourage Members to return items on a timely basis so everyone in the community can enjoy them.

https://www.hpl.ca/news/frequently-asked-questions

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops

Published:

Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm

Central Library - Fourth Floor Temporary Closure

Central Library's Fourth Floor is closed on Tuesday, September 16, from Noon to 6 pm due to a special event. Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre will remain open. Floors 1-3 are available as study and work spaces. www.hpl.ca/central

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Affected Branch: Central Library

Nearest Branches:

Barton Branch

Concession Branch

Locke Branch

Published:

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - 10:00am

Kenilworth Branch - Temporary Closure (Sept 2 - Oct 10)

Due to roof repair maintenance, the Branch is temporarily closed from September 2 until October 10. Please visit the Red Hill, Parkdale, and Barton locations as your nearest branches for your library needs. On August 28-29, there may be some noise disruptions and limited parking spots while the roof repair set-up begins. Thank you for your patience.

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Affected Branch: Kenilworth Branch

Nearest Branches:

Barton Branch

Parkdale Branch

Sherwood Branch

Published:

Monday, August 11, 2025 - 8:00am

Research Your House

New House in Westdale

Various sources can be used to document the history of a building. Except for well-known Hamilton-area homes, most do not have a ready-made history to consult. Therefore, the researcher must construct a history from scratch using available sources. This process can take time, and unfortunately, some properties may have very few, if any, historical records. To support your research, please refer to the Houses and Property Research Guide.

Local History and Archives contains various potentially useful resources to research houses. These records include:

Telephone Directories

These directories show names, addresses and telephone numbers for the Hamilton-Wentworth region.

City Directories

Researchers and genealogists use city directories to trace individuals, families and businesses. They usually include an alphabetical listing of adult residents, with their occupations and addresses.

Assessment Records

Tax assessment records help accurately date a building's construction and disclose its original owner and list of occupants.

Land Registry Records

These records detail the chain of ownership of a property using plan and lot number.

Maps

Local History and Archives has several large scale maps that show the shape, size and exact location of individual buildings.

Historical Photographs

If your building was known by a name in addition to its address, you can search under that heading in our card catalogue. In the Local History and Archives reading room, check the Where-to-Look card catalogue under Hamilton – Street Address and Number or Hamilton – Name of house for a citation to the Image Collection. You can also check photographs of the street the house is located on to see if your building is shown.

There are also specialized finding aids for other collections available in Local History and Archives.

To obtain more information about the people associated with the building, you may wish to check family papers, clipping files, census returns, genealogical indexes, funeral home indexes, cemetery indexes, promotional booklets, photographs, local publications and other sources within Local History and Archives.

Check in the Where-to-Look under the surname or ask for assistance at the Local History and Archives Information Desk.

There are also invaluable records that can be requested through the City of Hamilton's Property Record Search and through the Ontario Land Registry (OnLand).