All Branches Closed - Sunday, May 17

All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, May 17. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access service is not available.

Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19. Visit hpl.ca for our Virtual Branch.

Published:
Monday, May 11, 2026 - 10:15am
All Branches Closed - Victoria Day, Monday, May 18

All HPL Branches are closed on Monday, May 18. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19. 

Published:
Monday, May 11, 2026 - 10:15am
Bookmobile Service Modification

Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of May. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Tuesday, May 12:               

  • Greencedar - Cancelled
  • Mountview - Cancelled

Wednesday, May 13:               

  • Swansea - Cancelled
  • Helen Detwiler - Cancelled
  • Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Cancelled

Thursday, May 14:                

  • Rockton - Cancelled
  • Mohawk Gardens - Cancelled
  • Meadowlands - Cancelled

Monday, May 18: All Bookmobile sites closed

Published:
Monday, May 4, 2026 - 12:00pm
Software Maintenance - Victoria Day, Monday, May 18

Due to software maintenance, HPL library's catalogue, online services and library accounts will not be available between 9am and 7pm on Monday, May 18. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Friday, April 24, 2026 - 9:00am
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 during this time.

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

2025-26 Writer in Residence

Wir 2026

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.

Finale Celebration

Tuesday April 14
7-9pm
Shawn and Ed Brewing Co.
65 Hatt St, Dundas ON L9H 0C1

Join us at Shawn and Ed Brewing Co., to celebrate author Saumiya Balasubramaniam, the 2025-26 Writer-in-Residence.

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.

Writing Workshop - Picture Book Master Class

Saturday October 4 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Central Library; Hamilton Room

Join Saumiya for a workshop on writing picture books, part of the 2025–26 Writer-in-Residence program. Register Now

More about Saumiya: saumiyabooks.com

About the Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence Program: english.humanities.mcmaster.ca/mabel-pugh-taylor-writer-in-residence


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