HPL Catalogue - Maintenance Network

HPL's Catalogue will undergo maintenance network on Sunday, October 26 from 8 am to 10 am. There may be intermittent downtime during this maintenance window. Thank you for your patience.

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - 3:00pm
Central Library - 4th Floor Closure

Due to an all-day special event, the 4th Floor is closed on Saturday, October 25, from 8 am to 5 pm. Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre will remain open. Floors 1-3 are available for study and workspaces. www.hpl.ca/central

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Affected Branch: Central Library
Published:
Friday, October 17, 2025 - 11:00am
Delayed Branch Openings 

The following locations have upcoming delayed openings due to Staff training drills. 

Thursday, October 30
Parkdale Branch, 9:30am

You may visit nearby Branches for your library needs. www.hpl.ca/hours

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees

Bring back your borrowed library items (due Oct 1 or later) within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items. 

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
Kenilworth Branch - Temporary Closure (Sept 2 - Oct 27)

Due to roof repair maintenance, the branch is temporarily closed until October 27. Please visit the Red Hill, Parkdale and Barton branches.

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Published:
Monday, August 11, 2025 - 8:00am

City Directories

City directories were created for salesmen, merchants, and others interested in contacting residents of an area and are a valuable research tool to trace individuals, families and businesses. Directories were published annually and provide an alphabetical listing of the adult residents, with their occupation and address, as well as an alphabetical listing of streets, with the occupant at each house number. The directories also include listings of businesses, institutions, churches, schools, social organizations, and municipal services.

The Hamilton Public Library’s collection of City Directories cover the City of Hamilton Directory from 1853 to 2013. Suburban directories are also available for Ancaster, Burlington, Dundas, Stoney Creek and Waterdown from 1957 to 2013. Earlier Hamilton directories include suburban areas and smaller townships and villages; please see the guide for townships and villages. 

Hamilton Public Library is currently digitizing all of the Hamilton City Directories in its collection. To access fully searchable and downloadable digital copies, visit the Local History & Archives site on Internet Archive

Copies of the city directories are also available on microfilm in the Local History & Archives Department which is located on the 3rd floor of the Central Library. Please contact Local History & Archives for more information.