Canada Day Closure - All Branches

All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, June 30, and Monday, July 1st, for Canada Day. Bookmobile, Extended Access, and Study Hall services are unavailable. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, July 2.

Publish Date:

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 4:45pm

City-Wide Outage, Library Service Impacted

The City of Hamilton's cybersecurity-related outage that began on Sunday February 25, continues to Friday June 28. This outage affects Library services and some programs.

Public Wi-Fi is available at most branches except the Ancaster Branch.
Website log-in, self-check kiosks, sorters, public computers, and scanning are not available.
Some Makerspace services are available.
Printing via USB is now available on the 2nd Floor of Central Library and at the Ancaster, Barton, Red Hill, Terryberry, Kenilworth, Dundas, Westdale, Valley Park, Saltfleet, Stoneycreek and Turner Park branches.
Extended Access is cancelled. We are working with the City to restore these services.

Check for updates and frequently asked questions. Thank you for your patience.

Library Services Available

Staff are available by phone at 289-779-7588, chat and email at askhpl@hpl.ca. Branches are open. Study Halls are available. Check the event listings for program updates. Members can browse the Catalogue but can’t log in or place holds. Thank you for your patience.

Publish Date:

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 8:00am

Notices

Phishing Scheme

Please be aware of online phishing attempts impersonating Hamilton Public Library and Library Staff. HPL does not solicit paid freelance opportunities through social media or other messaging applications. HPL does not request personal or banking information through social media or require financial compensation when reviewing job applications. Please report phishing schemes to communications@hpl.ca. If you think you are a victim of fraud, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Publish Date:

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - 8:00am

Bookmobile

Note: Public computers shut down 15 minutes and Makerspaces close 30 minutes before the branch closes.

Address:

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Google Map

MagnusCards

A free accessibility app to help you use the Library

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Ontario Archives: Out of the Box

Subject:

Public library

Genealogy

Library programs

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The Hot Jazz String Quartet

Subject:

Music

Musicians

Public library

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Battle of the Books

Subject:

Public library

Books

Library programs

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Dare to Dream and win tickets

Subject:

Public library

Contests

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Celebrate at one of our branches

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Read more about Celebrate at one of our branches

February 21 to 27 is Freedom to Read Week

Subject:

Public library

Books

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Be HPL's Monster Jam Pit Reporter

Subject:

Public library

Contests

Youth services Kids

Read more about Be HPL's Monster Jam Pit Reporter

Family Day Fun at HPL on February 15

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Youth services Kids

Youth services Teens

Read more about Family Day Fun at HPL on February 15

February is Black History Month

Subject:

Public library

Books

Library programs

Youth services Kids

Kids Booklists

Read more about February is Black History Month

Psychology Month Speaker Series

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Youth services Teens

Read more about Psychology Month Speaker Series

The Trews Acoustic and In-The-Round

Subject:

Music

Musicians

Public library

Read more about The Trews Acoustic and In-The-Round

Relax after the Holidays

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Read more about Relax after the Holidays

Extended Hours for Study Hall

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Read more about Extended Hours for Study Hall

Copies available at your branch now

Subject:

Public library

Bookmobiles

Library programs

Library services

Library volunteer

Youth services Kids

Youth services Teens

Read more about Copies available at your branch now

Explore what HPL has to offer

Subject:

Public library

Read more about Explore what HPL has to offer

It's nice to finally have a name.

Subject:

Public library

Contests

Library programs

Read more about It's nice to finally have a name.

Let us showcase your art

Subject:

Arts and Recreation

Art galleries

Public library

Read more about Let us showcase your art

Jackson Square Food Court

Subject:

Public library

Read more about Jackson Square Food Court

A celebration of literacy and learning

Subject:

Festivals

Public library

Youth services Kids

Read more about A celebration of literacy and learning

A week of free learning

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Read more about A week of free learning

HPL @ SuperCrawl

Subject:

About Hamilton

Public library

Youth services Kids

Youth services Teens

Read more about HPL @ SuperCrawl

Voting is now closed

Subject:

Public library

Youth services Kids

Youth services Teens

Read more about Voting is now closed

Copies available at your branches

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Youth services Kids

Youth services Teens

Read more about Copies available at your branches

5th Annual LEGO Contest

Cast your vote for the best LEGO creation for the Summer of 2015

Read more about 5th Annual LEGO Contest

It's 3 cards in 1

Subject:

Public library

Library cards

Youth services Kids

Read more about It's 3 cards in 1

An issue you cannot ignore

Subject:

Art exhibitions

Public library

Read more about An issue you cannot ignore

What should we call the Fox?

Subject:

Public library

Youth services Kids

Read more about What should we call the Fox?

Register for the TD Summer Reading Club

Subject:

Public library

Youth services Kids

Read more about Register for the TD Summer Reading Club

HPL Facts

Read more about HPL Facts

Photography for Teens

Calling all Shutterbugs! Submit an original photo or image depicting the theme "Play"

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Stories, activities, songs and crafts

Subject:

Public library

Library programs

Youth services Kids

Read more about Stories, activities, songs and crafts

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Subject:

Public library

Books

Youth services Teens

Read more about The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

It's an issue you can't ignore.

Subject:

Art exhibitions

Heritage

Public library

Read more about It's an issue you can't ignore.

Join the Discussion

Subject:

Public library

Books

Library programs

Read more about Join the Discussion

Witness Blanket

Subject:

Public library

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Hamilton Reads 2018: Related Reads

If you liked Beautiful Scars by Tom Wilson, you might enjoy these titles as well.

Read more about Hamilton Reads 2018: Related Reads

Art Crawl

Subject:

Arts and Recreation

Public library

Read more about Art Crawl

125 Books to Read Before Kindergarten

HPL staff has selected 125 outstanding pictures books which will entertain, educate and encourage young children, and help them develop their early literacy skills.

Read more about 125 Books to Read Before Kindergarten

Join HPL for 100 in 1 Day

Subject:

Public library

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Happy Birthday, HPL!

Subject:

Public library

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General History of Hamilton

The General History section of Local History & Archives online content concerns topics including the chronology of the cities and towns in the Hamilton area, the Hamilton Street Railway, and Gore Park.

Read more about General History of Hamilton

Local History & Archives Resources

Hamilton Public Library’s Local History & Archives contains a remarkable wealth of resources for researchers.

Read more about Local History & Archives Resources

Local History and Archives on Historypin

Historypin is an image-mapping project using archival photographs

Read more about Local History and Archives on Historypin

Local History & Archives on Flickr

Hamilton at night from the top of the James St. Incline Railway [193-?]

The Local History & Archives Flickr page is used to showcase photographs digitized from the Local History & Archives collection.

Read more about Local History & Archives on Flickr

Local History & Archives Programs: Discover Your Family History

Local History & Archives programs to help you discover your family history!

Read more about Local History & Archives Programs: Discover Your Family History

Local History & Archives Upcoming Programs

Local History & Archives Upcoming Programs

Read more about Local History & Archives Upcoming Programs

Microfilm Readers and Photocopiers

A description of how Local History & Archives' microfilm readers and photocopiers work.

Read more about Microfilm Readers and Photocopiers

Summer Reading Club Contest Entry Forms - 2014

Read more about Summer Reading Club Contest Entry Forms - 2014

Online Payment Now Available

Hamilton Public Library now offers you the ability to pay your fines online using a secure online e-commerce tool. Using your credit card (debit currently not accepted), you can pay your fines in full from the comfort of home or using one of our library computers. Note: you cannot pay partial fines online.

Read more about Online Payment Now Available

New Waterdown Branch

Construction is underway on the new Waterdown Branch, scheduled to open in October 2014 on Dundas Street East.

Read more about New Waterdown Branch

Refund Policy

Learn more about our Refund Policy

Read more about Refund Policy

PreVIEW Help

Answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to Local History & Archives' online image collection

Read more about PreVIEW Help

Image Digitization Standards

A description of the image digitization standards utilized by Local History & Archives

Read more about Image Digitization Standards

Use of Images

Last council meeting in old City Hall, 1960

Overview of how and when it's appropriate to use PreVIEW images.

Read more about Use of Images

Project History

Aerial view of Hamilton's industrial harbourfront

Overview of PreVIEW's history and purpose.

Read more about Project History

Local History & Archives Historical Images

Local History & Archives has an incredible and unmatched collection of Hamilton historical images, with thousands available digitally.

Read more about Local History & Archives Historical Images

Accessibility Tools

Would assistive technologies make your use of the library more rewarding? In addition to text enlargers at five branches, our computers are equipped with many accessibility features.

Read more about Accessibility Tools

Key Reports

Reports of the Hamilton Public Library are prepared by staff and approved by the Hamilton Public Library Board.

Read more about Key Reports

Contemporary Hamilton Authors Inclusion Guidelines

Read more about Contemporary Hamilton Authors Inclusion Guidelines

Contemporary Hamilton Authors Submission Information

Read more about Contemporary Hamilton Authors Submission Information

Research Your House

Research your house with our wealth of resources useful in historical building research.

Read more about Research Your House

The Forest of Reading

Children sitting at desks in a classroom

The Forest of Reading is a huge annual event that encourages children of all ages to read books by Canadian authors and vote for their favourites! Check here for this year's nominations.

Read more about The Forest of Reading

Maps

These plans are valuable maps for building research. They are large scale maps that show shape, size and exact location of individual buildings. They provide detail about the construction materials, outbuildings and neighbourhood.

Read more about Maps

Telephone Directories

Bell Telephone Directory for Toronto, Hamilton, and Dundas, 1881

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

Read more about Telephone Directories

City Directories

City Directories show an alphabetical listing of street addresses which can be cross-referenced with an alphabetical listing of surnames.

Read more about City Directories

Tax Assessment Records

Tax assessment records can help in accurate dating of the construction of the building as well as disclosing the original owner and a list of occupants.

Read more about Tax Assessment Records

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Unless stated otherwise a standard Creative Commons copyright policy applies to all content on the myhamilton community website.

Read more about Copyright and Intellectual Property

French Collection - En Francais

Visit one of our branches with a French language collection! New and exciting materials are available at the Central Library and at the Dundas, Kenilworth, Locke, Red Hill, Saltfleet, Sherwood, Terryberry, Turner Park and Westdale branches.

Read more about French Collection - En Francais

Mission Statement and Values

Hamilton Public Library has many locations and a strong online presence, providing Hamiltonians the opportunities expressed in our Mission Statement, "Freedom to Discover".

Read more about Mission Statement and Values