All HPL Branches are closed on Good Friday, April 3. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access is not available.
Regular service hours resume on Saturday, April 4. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca. www.hpl.ca/hours
Good Friday - All Branches Closed
Published:
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 11:00am
Easter Sunday - All Branches Closed
All HPL Branches are closed on Easter Sunday, April 5. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, April 7. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca. www.hpl.ca/hours
Published:
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 11:00am
Easter Monday - All Branches Closed
All HPL Branches are closed on Easter Monday, April 6. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, April 7. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca. www.hpl.ca/hours
Published:
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library: SAD Therapy Lamp Out of Order
The Seasonal Affective Disorder therapy lamp on the 2nd floor at Central Library is out of order. The estimated time of disruption is unknown at this time. For more locations, please visit Light Therapy Lamps | HPL.
Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 10:00am
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor, March 30-April 27
Starting March 30, renovations for the 2nd floor Central Children's Area will begin. Programs will still be offered as scheduled and there will be 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. Thank you for your patience during this time.
Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
Bookmobile Service Modifications
Due to driver availability, Bookmobile is off the road for the following. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Tuesday, March 31
Court at Rushdale - Reminder bi-weekly stop changed to 10:30-11am
Wednesday, April 1
Swansea 10:00-10:30am - CANCELLED
Helen Detwiler 11:00am-12:00pm - CANCELLED
Warplane Museum 3:00-4:00pm - CANCELLED
Friday, April 3 - Library Closed
All stops CANCELLED
Monday, April 6 - Library Closed
All stops CANCELLED
Published:
Monday, March 16, 2026 - 10:15am
Central Library - New Library Card Check-in Process
Starting Monday, March 16, adults 18+ are required to show their Library card to access Central Library. This is a temporary measure to ensure safety for all. Thank you for your patience in advance.
Published:
Friday, March 13, 2026 - 5:45pm
Concession Branch Children's Area Reduced Service
A Children's area activity table, including the children's computers at Concession Branch are unavailable due to a facility issue. We aim to fix them as soon as possible.
Published:
Monday, March 9, 2026 - 11:30am
Valley Park Community Centre Closure
From March 23 until April 12, Valley Park Community Centre will be closed for renovations, reopening April 13. Pool and changerooms will remain closed until early summer 2026.
Valley Park Branch will remain open during the renovations for your library needs.
Published:
Friday, February 27, 2026 - 11:00am
Concession Branch: Renovations
As of Monday, March 2, Concession Branch's Living Room and Makerspace areas are closed. (The next nearest Makerspaces are Sherwood and Terryberry Branches.) Seating may be limited at times. Renovations are expected to be completed in late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 1:00pm
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
Carlisle Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order
The accessible washroom at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.
Published:
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 12:30pm
The Short Works Prize
Short Works Prize Call for Entries
The contest opens August 6 and closes October 27, 2024
Recognizing Excellence in Writing: The 10th Annual Short Works Prize for Hamilton-area writers. Presented with Hamilton Arts & Letters Magazine and the Hamilton Public Library.
The SWP Guidelines have changed this year.
Please read the guidelines carefully before you submit your entry.
Eligibility:
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Writers must live in the Hamilton Public Library service area. Writers who live in communities with reciprocal borrowing privileges at HPL are not eligible.
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Please use 12-point, Arial font and double-space all entries.
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Entries are not returned.
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Cost to enter: $0.
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Writers who received Honourable Mentions in 2023 may apply again in 2024.
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Writers who received a 2023 Short Works cash prize are not eligible to enter in 2024.
New Guidelines:
This year, SWP will recognize Unpublished works only. All entrants must submit a piece of writing that has NEVER been published before. Anyone may submit. Entrants may be professional writers; OR creative writers who have never had their work published before.
The awards program is open to Adults (21 and older) and Youth (16-20).
All entrants are invited to submit ONE piece of writing that has NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE in ONE of the following categories:
- Poetry
- Fiction
- Creative Non-Fiction
‘Blind judging’: Your name must ONLY appear on your entry form, not on the work you submit. Jurors will read the works without knowing the names of the authors.
Adult Writers
- Writers aged 21 or older may submit ONE piece of writing that has not been published. A minimum of three $100 cash prizes will be awarded.
Young Writers
- Writers ages 16 to 20 at the time of entry may submit ONE piece of writing that has not been published. Up to eight cash prizes of $50 will be awarded.
Word Count
Entries may be a few lines, or a few pages. The maximum word count is 6,000 words.
All entrants will be notified of the results via email by Nov 25, 2024.
Submissions:
Enter online below. The deadline to submit is Oct 27, 2024, 11:59pm.
Questions? Email: HAL@HALmagazine.com
Hamilton Arts & Letters magazine
www.HALmagazine.com
