All HPL Branches are closed on Friday, May 29, for Staff Professional Development Day. 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.
Please note that filming will take place nearby on the following dates.
May 18 – Filming Preparation (All Day)
May 19 – Filming (7am – 4pm), Concession Street (between Upper Wentworth and East 21st)
The accessible washroom at Greensville Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, May 17. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access service is not available.
Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19. Visit hpl.ca for our Virtual Branch.
All HPL Branches are closed on Monday, May 18. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19.
Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of May. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Wednesday, May 13:
Thursday, May 14:
Monday, May 18: All Bookmobile sites closed
Due to software maintenance, HPL library's catalogue, online services and library accounts will not be available between 8am and 7pm on Monday, May 18. Thank you for your patience.
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 during this time.
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.
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day. Wear an orange shirt to honour the lost children and survivors of Canada’s residential schools.
Hamilton Public Library encourages the community to learn the stories, experiences and legacies of the children, families and communities forever impacted by those forced to attend Canada’s Residential Schools.
We have assembled a collection of books, movies and more focused on Indigenous voices, authors, storytellers, musicians, and artists.
Learn Their Stories. Respect Their Legacies.
HPL will observe a minute of silence at 2:15 pm on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The time chosen reflects the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass graveyard on a former residential school site in Kamloops, BC, in May 2021.
Celebrate Indigenous history and culture in September and October with HPL.
Attend a live reading with Norma Jacobs (September 18) as she discusses her novel 'Odagahodhes: Reflecting on our Journeys'.
Learn about treaties from a historical and practical viewpoint in a discussion (September 26) with local artist and educator Jim Adams commemorating upcoming Treaties Recognition Week.
Register for the Indigenizing Ontario Archaeology (October 1) talk presented in partnership with McMaster University to learn about a collaborative archaeological field school at a mid-seventeenth-century Neutral village near Hamilton.
Attend a Solemn Ceremony at the Seven Grandfathers' Teaching Mural (576 Concession Street) by local artist Kyle Joedicke on Tuesday, September 30, from 4-5 pm, commemorating Truth and Reconciliation Day.
This will include a reading with Jim Adams (aka Many Hats), and a drumming circle provided by the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre (HRIC).
We have recommended reads and eReads about the residential school experience. Also, check out HPL’s Staff Picks: #Indigenous Reads and Indigenous Reads for Kids and Teens.
Stream documentaries, educational videos and audio on Summa with your HPL library card.
Watch encore performances of Noon Hour Concerts by Lacey Hill, Rod Nettagog, an Indigenous Artists and Mohawk College Student Cultural engagement, and an Indigenous Dance and Song with Adrian and Ascension Harjo. Learn more about Indigenous musicians and storytellers through their music and legacies.
Cherokee is an Iroquoian language, and the only Southern Iroquoian language spoken today. Visit Mango Languages with your HPL Library card to start learning the language and culture.
Learn more about the 94 Calls to Action listed in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report.
The City of Hamilton invites community members to gather in reflection, remembrance, and learning for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30).
Begin the day in a good way with a Sunrise Ceremony at 6 am at West Harbour James Street Plaza (at Guise Street) and teachings to honour Survivors and remember the children who never returned home. Then return for an Afternoon Gathering from 1 to 4 pm for a community event of reflection, awareness, and learning featuring:
This gathering is supported by community partners who bring opportunities for learning and connection:
For additional resources, visit the City's website.
The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Today, the City of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land, so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners and caretakers.
