Bookmobile Service Update

Due to the Touch-A-Truck event being cancelled, Bookmobile will be visiting its regularly scheduled Saturday sites instead (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
Turner Park - Study Hall Cancellation

Study Hall on Thursday, May 21, is cancelled due to plumbing maintenance. Study Hall will resume on Monday, May 25. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Wednesday, May 20, 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

Tom Bochsler Collection

Downtown Hamilton from the Niagara Escarpment, 1963
Downtown Hamilton from the Niagara Escarpment, 1963

Tom Bochsler is a well-known industrial photographer who has spent more than five decades as a professional photographer. He was the official photographer for McMaster University, CHCH-TV, CHML radio and other local businesses. He also was a portrait photographer. His specialty, however, is industrial photography, and he has won many awards for his work in this field. He recently donated more than 500,000 negatives and images, spanning the length of his career, to Hamilton Public Library. This now stands as the largest Canadian collection of images from an individual photographer in Local History & Archives.

His book, The Art of Industry, is a 50-year photo-biography that includes events, personalities and the many industries which were part of his everyday photographic experience.