The accessible washroom at Barton Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
Barton Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order
Published:
Saturday, January 17, 2026 - 3:00pm
Online Resources - Update
The following eResources have been recently discontinued in our HPL collections: Novelist, Summa, Summa Kids, and Northstar Digital Literacy. Please visit www.hpl.ca/articles/read-watch-listen for our full listing of online resources for your next read, watch, listen and/or learn.
Published:
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 11:00am
Waterdown Branch Accessible Door Out of Order
The accessibility door at Waterdown Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
Published:
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 12:00pm
Printing Updates
Daily print balances for black and white and colour printing change January 2, 2026. The new daily print balance is 40 cents. Members receive four free black and white copies or two free colour copies.
Large format and vinyl printing pricing also change on January 2. Visit https://www.hpl.ca/makerspaces for updates.
Published:
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees
Bring back your borrowed library items within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items.
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
History of City Hall
Map of downtown Hamilton
When the Town of Hamilton was incorporated in 1833, one of the first orders of business, after a closely fought election where 3 out of the 4 candidates had no opposition (1), was to find a suitable place for the town board to meet. For the first few years they made do with meeting in local taverns, such as Thomas Wilson's inn on the corner of John and Jackson Streets (2). Mr. Wilson had no objection as he was paid quite well for the privilege of having the governing body of Hamilton in his establishment. The accounts for the town list his payment for the rental of the room as £0/7/6 in 1835 (3).
However, a tavern was not the ideal place to conduct the business of the town and in 1835 Council paid Stephenson Woods £2/15/0 for a plan of an Engine House. In 1836 they paid William Hardy £1/5/0 for drawing the specifications for this plan, contracting Scott & Biggart to build the structure. By November 25, 1835, Council had paid a total of £50/0/0 on account for the construction (4). On August 9, 1836, A. Ross & Co. was paid (£2/0/0) for painting the Engine House (5) and council soon moved in, sharing quarters with the fire department and with the cells in the basement, to conduct the city's business from this more suitable environment.
