Study Halls at Central Library and Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park, and Waterdown branches resume on Tuesday, September 2. They will be open after-hours Mondays-Thursdays from 8 pm to Midnight. www.hpl.ca/study-halls
All HPL Branches are closed Sunday, August 30, and Labour Day, Monday, September 1st. Bookmobile is off the road, and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, September 2. www.hpl.ca/hours
Due to campus events, McMaster University's Bookmobile Visits for Tuesdays, August 26 and September 2 (3:30-4:30 pm) have been cancelled. Service is expected to resume on Tuesday, September 9. Thank you for your understanding.
The accessibility door at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
Due to continued concrete work, the Rymal Road entrance will be unavailable until Friday, August 30. Access to the parking lot, accessible parking spaces, back entrance, and external drop box is available. Thank you for your patience.
All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, August 31, and Labour Day, Monday, September 1st. Bookmobile is off the road, and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume Tuesday, September 2. www.hpl.ca/hours
Due to a mid-day fire drill, Turner Park Branch and Les Chater Family YMCA are closed for a fire drill from noon-1 pm. Thank you for your patience.
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.
Read. Share Stories. Build Lifelong Literacy at Telling Tales.
HAMILTON, ON – August 14, 2025 – Hamilton Public Library (HPL) joins Telling Tales (TT) at its annual children’s literary festival on October 4 and 5 to celebrate the magic of storytelling.
Over two days and on five stages, more than 100 presenters converge at Royal Botanical Gardens' Hendrie Park, including children’s authors, illustrators, dancers, artists and musicians. Main Stage headliners include authors Tanya Tagaq on Saturday at 12:15pm and Matthew Forsyth on Sunday at 12:15pm. The Festival also features a book swap and shop, vendors, interactive walks and creative activities.
Hamilton Public Library staff will also be there each day, with 10-minute storytime presentations for all ages at 10:50, 1:10, 2:25 and 3:40. Featured books include Telling Tales Reading List highlights such as: The Bear Out There by Jess Hannigan; The Crayon Stub by Marcus Cutler; Hug by Charlene Chua and When the Air Sang by Laura Bontje.
Make the most of your literary adventure and plan your day using the full Festival schedule. Be sure to register to attend this free weekend event.
While you wait for the Festival, check out Telling Tales’ Reading List, or download the Book Bingo card and borrow the books from HPL. Book Bingo features fresh new Canadian releases and all Book Bingo books will be available for purchase at the Telling Tales Festival. As a bonus, readers can redeem their book bingo card for 10% off at local bookstores Epic Books and A Different Drummer Books. Visit HPL’s 23 branches and Bookmobiles any time of year for storytimes, crafts, science, author events and more. Details at hpl.ca/events.
“With books for babies to teens, our literary programming this year focuses on building foundational literacy skills while including more panels, workshops and activities that help develop critical thinking and dialogue skills,” says Executive Director Heather Kanabe. “This ensures we are with young people throughout their literacy journey.”
“Hamilton Public Library shares Telling Tales’ mission to encourage a love of reading, share the joy of stories and grow literacy skills throughout the year—every year—to reach important milestones,” says Katelyn Granger, Manager of Youth Services at HPL. “The benefits of getting a free library card at a young age are endless.”
To make it easier to get to the Festival, hop on a shuttle bus supported by First Student, in front of Central Library at 55 York Blvd, 10am-4:30pm. A bus departs every 15 minutes.