Study Halls will be paused from Friday, December 19, and resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.
www.hpl.ca/study-halls
Study Halls will be paused from Friday, December 19, and resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.
www.hpl.ca/study-halls
Please note that the 905-546-3200 main line is experiencing technical issues today, Monday, December 8. Members can still reach Staff at 289-779-7588 or by email or through chat online. We are working quickly to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience.
The accessibility door at Sherwood Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
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.
The Hamilton Public Library provides library service for children and youth to support and foster a lifelong love of reading and learning. The Hamilton Public Library Board fully endorses the Children’s Rights in the Public Library adopted at the Ontario Library Association Annual General Meeting, November 1998 and the Teen’s Rights in the Public Library adopted at the Ontario Library Association General Meeting, June 2010.
DEFINITIONS
In the absence of definitions provided by OLA, and for the purpose of this statement, the following definitions apply:
Children: A person who is under the age of 18.
Teen: A person who is between the age of 13 and 17.
Youth: While the City of Hamilton identifies Youth to be a person between the ages of 14 and 29, for the purpose of this statement Youth refers to Teens (a person who is ages 13 to 17).
Children in Public Libraries have the right to:
Intellectual freedom.
Equal access to the full range of services and materials available to other users.
A full range of materials, services and programs specifically designed and developed to meet their needs.
Adequate funding for collections and services related to population, use and local community needs.
A library environment that complements their physical and developmental stages.
Trained and knowledgeable staff specializing in children's services.
Welcoming, respectful, supportive service from birth through the transition to adult user.
An advocate who will speak on their behalf to the library administration, library board, municipal council and community to make people aware of the goals of children's services.
Library policies written to include the needs of the child.