Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton

Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton Monday January 19, 2026.

The temperature is expected to plummet below minus 15 Celsius. For warm place hours visit hpl.ca/hours.

For a list of shelters and health information visit www.hamilton.ca/cold.

Published:

Monday, January 19, 2026 - 4:00pm

Central Library – Digital Microfilm Machines

The digital microfilm machines at Central Library are not working. A single analog machine is available in the Local History and Archives Reading Room. This reader does not support printing. We apologize for the inconvenience and aim to have the digital devices repaired as soon as possible.

Published:

Monday, January 19, 2026 - 1:45pm

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

2025-26 Writer in Residence

Meet Saumiya Balasubramaniam

Saumiya Balasubramaniam is the 2025-26 Writer in Residence. During her eight-month stint, September 2025-April 2026, she will mentor creative writers in the Hamilton community, providing feedback on submissions in one-on-one meetings.

She writes poetry, essays, features and award-nominated picture books for children, such as When I Found Grandma, Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White and When I Visited Grandma.

Her debut picture book, When I Found Grandma, which was published in 2019, was listed in the Globe and Mail’s seven books to help kids make sense of the world list in 2019. It was nominated for the 2020 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and won the 2019 Spirituality and Practice Award.

Balasubramaniam’s books have been featured in CBC’s best Canadian picture books, top books to look out for, and the Toronto Public Library’s top five picks of the year.

Her works have been translated into French and Swedish.

Welcome Reception

Thursday September 11
6:30 to 8:00 pm
Central Library, Hamilton Room
55 York Blvd., Hamilton

Meet Saumiya at Central Library and learn more about the Writer-in-Residence program.

Register Now

Schedule an Appointment

Creative writers in Hamilton are invited to book a free 45-minute one-on-one consultation (in-person or virtual) with Saumiya. Schedule an Appointment.