All branches close early on Tuesday, December 30 at 6:00 PM (*with the exception of Carlisle, Freelton, Greensville, and Mount Hope) for holiday-adjusted hours. This includes branches with Extended Access.
*Carlisle- 10am - 3pm
Freelton- 9am - 2pm
Greensville- 9am - 2pm
Mount Hope- 10am - 3pm
All branches close early on Monday, December 29 at 6:00 PM (with the exception of Freelton closing at 2PM) for holiday-adjusted hours. This includes branches with Extended Access.
The Makerspace at Central Library is currently out of white vinyl for printing. Members needing white vinyl can visit the Dundas or Valley Park branch Makerspaces, which are the closest locations with white vinyl currently available.
Due to maintenance, the Barton Branch will be closed on Wednesday, January, 7. Please visit Central Library or Kenilworth Branch for your library needs. www.hpl.ca/hours
Photocopying and Scanning is not working at Westdale Branch. We aim to fix it as soon as possible.
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.
Bookmobile is off the road December 31, and January 1st. Visit www.hpl.ca/bookmobile for our Holiday Schedule.
Due to the setup for the Noon Hour Concert, the Fourth Floor at Central Library will be closed on Friday, January 2. Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre will remain open. Floors 1-3 have spaces to work and study.
All branches close on Thursday January 1 for New Years Day. This includes branches with Extended Access.
All branches close on Friday, December 26, 2025 for Boxing Day . This includes branches with Extended Access.
All HPL Branches close early on Wednesday, December 31 at 1pm. This includes branches with Extended Access.
Branch Study Halls are paused Friday, December 19, 2025 through Monday, January 5, 2026. Central Library Study Hall hours resume Spring 2026.
www.hpl.ca/study-halls
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.
Mandate
The Local History and Archives collection exists to:
Acquire, preserve and make accessible materials which illustrate the history of the Hamilton area and its peoples. The Archives collect and provides access to cultural heritage that makes a significant contribution to an understanding of the development of the City, its natural and built environments, its cultures and the people who lived, worked, and had an impact upon the Hamilton area.
Acquire and preserve archival materials created by the Hamilton Public Library which illustrate the growth and development of the Library, including archival material identified through the corporate Records Management program.
Manage and preserve defined Special Collections representing past collecting priorities of the Library including art, local government documents, Canadian history and rare books.
Arrange and describe these materials according to archival principles and best practices to make them accessible to the public, unless access is restricted by legal requirements, Library Board policy or written agreement with the donor.
Provide adequate and appropriate conditions for the storage, protection and preservation of analog and digital archival material.
Provide reference and access services to individuals, organizations, or other groups interested in the holdings of Local History and Archives.
Facilitate digitization projects, exhibition, outreach and programming to increase public awareness of the Hamilton area and its peoples, history and development.
The ultimate responsibility for the management of Local History and Archives is with the Chief Librarian acting in accordance with the general policies established by the Library Board. In practice, this authority is delegated to the Director, Collections and Program Development and the Manager, Local History and Archives.
The presence of materials in the Local History and Archives collection does not constitute an endorsement of their content or viewpoints by the Library Board. The Board recognizes that this policy is carried out in compliance and with due regard for all applicable legislation.
The archives will acquire material of cultural heritage value by donation, bequest, purchase, or transfer, regardless of medium, including but not limited to: textual records; photographs and other visual and artistic works; cartographic, technical and architectural records; audio and visual recordings as per the mandate. Material may be analog or digital in nature.
The Local History and Archives department will only accept material on a permanent basis, except when borrowing material for short-term loans for reproduction, research or exhibition.
Notwithstanding intrinsic, informational or historical value of records, Local History and Archives will acquire records, taking into consideration the following:
The resources required to make the material available for research purposes in a practical period of time.
The extent and terms of any restrictions, the legal rights and/or requests of the donor to place the records in the Archives.
The records’ relationship to the strengths and weaknesses in the existing holdings.
The availability of appropriate storage facilities and the physical condition of the records in relation to the probability of being able to conserve them in a reasonable period of time.
The acquisition mandates of other institutions.
The Archives retains the right to reproduce materials by mechanical, electronic, or photographic means for security, research, access, conservation and long-term preservation purposes in accordance with applicable Canadian law.
Archival materials are generally acquired by donation and not by purchase. The Archives may determine to acquire material by purchase if it fulfils a critical gap within the collection with the approval of the Chief Librarian.
Archival materials of private donors are accepted by gift, bequest, or transfer from another archival institution. A signed Deed of Gift is completed to transfer ownership and negotiated rights such as copyright of the records from the donor to the Hamilton Public Library.
The Hamilton Public Library’s institutional archival records are retained primarily according to approved records retention policy. The Archives does not function as a repository for financial records or human resources records.
The Archives does not generally accept fonds that have been willfully partitioned by a donor.
In special circumstances, and in line with the Library’s Working With Us Policy, Local History and Archives may work in or develop partnerships with local organizations to improve community access to materials. In the case of each partnership, a letter of agreement or memorandum of understanding is signed defining the scope of the project and the rights and responsibilities of all parties.
At the discretion of the Archives, tax receipts may be issued based on Canada Revenue Agency rules subject to external appraisal by individual(s) qualified in appraising the material in question.
