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

Ready for Reading

Mother reading with young daughterDid you know that it is never too early to prepare your child for success as a reader?  As a parent or caregiver of a newborn, toddler or preschooler, you are your child's first teacher.

Reading together is the most important gift that you can give your young child. Every Child Ready to Read identifies five pre-reading skills that children should have in order to learn to read.

Talking 

Talking with children is one of the best ways to help them learn new words and information.
 

Singing

Songs are a natural way for children to learn about language.
 

Reading

Reading together is the single most important way to help children get ready to read.
 

Writing

Writing and reading go together. Scribbling and writing help children learn that written words stand for spoken language.
 

Playing

Playing helps children put together thoughts into words and think symbolically so they understand that spoken and written words can stand for real objects and experiences.