Most of what you’ll find in Local History and Archives came to us as donations from individuals and groups, and we welcome offers of materials that help tell the story of the Hamilton area and its peoples.
What we collect
We acquire materials of cultural heritage significance to the Hamilton area in any medium, analog or digital, including:
- Textual records such as letters, diaries, minutes, and business records
- Photographs and other visual and artistic works
- Maps, technical drawings, and architectural records
- Audio and visual recordings
We’re especially interested in materials that deepen the understanding of the development of the city, its natural and built environments, its cultures, and the people who lived and worked here, including voices and communities not yet well represented in our collections.
Donation offers
- Contact us. Email askhpl@hpl.ca or call 905-546-3200 extension 1035 and tell us about your materials — what they are, roughly how much there is, and how they relate to Hamilton. Our team will follow up with next steps.
- Review. A collections committee meets regularly to consider donation offers. This group may ask additional questions about your offer or request to consult material on temporary receipt before making a decision.
- Deed of Gift. If we accept your donation, you’ll sign a Deed of Gift — an agreement that transfers ownership, and any negotiated rights such as copyright, to the Hamilton Public Library.
Donations are accepted on a permanent basis and ownership is transferred to the Library. Once material join the collection, we care for it and make it accessible to the public through archival processing, description, and preservation. This process can take a significant amount of time, and access may not be possible during this period.
What we consider
We can’t accept everything we’re offered. When reviewing a donation, we consider:
- How well the materials fit our collecting mandate and relate to our existing holdings
- The physical condition of the materials and our ability to store and conserve them
- The resources needed to make the materials available for research in a practical period of time
- Any restrictions or conditions attached to the donation
- Whether another institution’s collecting mandate is a better fit — if so, we’re happy to suggest one
We generally acquire materials by donation rather than purchase, and we prefer to keep collections whole rather than accept portions of deliberately divided ones.
What we don’t accept
We typically do not collect:
- Newspaper clippings
- Photocopies
- Unpublished research notes
- Three-dimensional objects
- Musty, mouldy, or water-damaged items
We also try to avoid duplicates of materials already in our collections. If you’re unsure whether your materials are a good fit, please contact us.
Tax receipts
At the discretion of the Local History and Archives, charitable tax receipts may be issued in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency rules for donations valued at over $500. This requires an external appraisal by an individual qualified to appraise the materials in question.