SmartPay Service Not Available

HPL's online payment service is not working. We aim to restore it quickly. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 2:15pm
Bookmobile Service Modification

Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of June. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Bookmobile Service June Modifications 

Tuesday, June 2:                  

  • McMaster University - Cancelled

Friday, June 5:                    

  • Winona - Cancelled
  • Queen Victoria - Cancelled

Saturday, June 6:                 

  • All Regular Sites are Cancelled due to a Special Event
Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 12:00pm
Bookmobile Service Update

With the cancellation of Touch-A-Truck, Bookmobile will instead visit its regularly scheduled Saturday sites at Stoney Creek Arena, Riverdale and Discovery Centre. www.hpl.ca/bookmobile

Published:
Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 2:30pm
Central Library - Fax Machine Out of Order

Please note that the fax machine is currently out of order. The estimated time of repair is unknown. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 12:00pm
Staff Professional Development Day - All Branches Closed

All HPL Branches are closed on Friday May 29, for Staff Professional Development. 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.

Published:
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 12:00pm
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor

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.

Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
Sherwood Branch: Renovations

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.

Published:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 1:00pm

Borrowing Policy

Policy Purpose

To ensure that Hamilton Public Library facilitates broad utilization of library collections and serves its members in a fair and consistent manner. The borrowing policy outlines:

  • The criteria for library membership in order to get a library card
  • Member confidentiality and the terms of the library card agreement
  • Borrowing responsibilities of the library card holder and
  • Borrowing privileges and loan periods

Key Points Summary

Summary: This policy defines who is eligible for a Library card and under what terms. A library card is not required to enter the library or use most resources within the library. Members may choose to create a library card in-person at a library branch or online through the library website. A library card is used as the primary form of contact tracing when required by Provincial regulations for operations.

The Library issues the following types of cards:

  1. Discovery cards (Adult & Youth)
  2. Non-Resident card (Adult & Youth)
  3. Inspire card (Adult & Youth)
  4. Reciprocal Borrowing card
  5. Community card

Customer Confidentiality: The Library protects personal information about a borrower consistent with the Library’s Privacy Policy.

Borrowing Responsibilities: Library card holders are responsible for materials they have borrowed. Returning items on time enables others to share the library’s collection and provides greater opportunities to browse items at the location.

Borrowing Privileges: Loan periods vary based on the kind of materials borrowed and the type of library card. Borrowing privileges can be suspended under certain circumstances.

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