Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton December 13, 2025.
The temperature is expected to plummet below minus 15 Celsius. For warm place hours visit hpl.ca/hours.
For a list of shelters and health information visit www.hamilton.ca/cold.
Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Saturday, December 13, 2025 - 4:00pm
Binbrook Branch: Parking Lot Disruption
Due to the Binbrook Santa Claus Parade route, Binbrook Branch's parking lot will be unavailable from 1:30pm-4pm on Saturday, December 13. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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Published:
Saturday, December 13, 2025 - 10:45am
Red Hill Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order
The accessible washroom at Red Hill Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
1
Published:
Friday, December 12, 2025 - 3:15pm
Modified Bookmobile Service
The Millgrove visit on Saturday, December 13, from 3:30 to 4 pm is cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Published:
Thursday, December 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
Printing Unavailable at Westdale Branch
Printing is not working at Westdale Branch. We aim to fix it as soon as possible.
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Published:
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - 10:30am
Study Halls - Holiday Break
Study Halls will be paused from Friday, December 19, and resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.
www.hpl.ca/study-halls
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - 9:15am
Telephone Service - Technical Issues
Please note that the 905-546-3200 main line is experiencing technical issues today, Monday, December 8. Members can still reach Staff at 289-779-7588 or by email or through chat online. We are working quickly to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 7:30pm
Replacement and Damage Fees
Bring back your borrowed library items (due Oct 1 or later) 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
War of 1812
Battlefield Monument
The largest single subject collection in the Local History & Archives Department is the section concerning the War of 1812.
Our collection chronicles the war that was fought from 1812 to 1815 between the United States and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island and Bermuda.
The Library's collection includes well over 1000 items, including books, pamphlets, maps and line drawings, and also includes the announcement of the Declaration of War.
Selection of Books
- “The Pride of Britannia Humbled” by William Cobbett, published in 1815
- “A Complete List of the American Navy...for 1813”
- “The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor”, by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, published in 1816 (this work marks the first time that the United States was symbolized as Uncle Sam in print)
- “The Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812” by Benson Lossing, published in 1869
- “The History of the War” by John Russell Jr., published in 1815
- “History of the Late War between Great Britain and the United States of America” by David Thompson. This book was printed in Niagara, Upper Canada, in 1832, making it one of the earliest imprints from the province.
Pamphlets
There are also many pamphlets dealing with the causes and results of the war. Of particular interest to the Hamilton area, is a copy of James Fenimore Cooper's “Ned Myers; or, a Life Before the Mast”, which is the story of one of the sailors who survived the sinking of the Hamilton and the Scourge, during the storm on Lake Ontario, in 1813. These two vessels were rediscovered in 1975, and ownership deeded over to the City of Hamilton, which has plans to create a maritime museum.
Maps and Line Drawings
There are also maps of battles and line drawings in many of the books, outlining major campaigns and battle sites, including the Battle of Stoney Creek. This is one of the finest collections of its kind in Southern Ontario, and is a superb resource for the study of this fascinating war.
Collection Bibliography
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
