Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton

The Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton is issuing a Cold Weather Alert effective overnight tonight, Tuesday, February 3. A Cold Weather Alert is issued when current or anticipated weather conditions are at or below -15C or -20C with wind chill. This alert will remain in effect until a cancellation notice is issued. Please visit www.hamilton.ca/cold for locations and resources to stay warm and safe. 

All HPL Branches are Warm Places during our open service hours. www.hpl.ca/hours

Published:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 5:00pm
Central Library - Fourth Floor Closure

The Fourth Floor will be closed on Friday, February 6, starting at 2 pm for Seedy Saturday event setup. Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre will remain open. Floors 1-3 are available with study and work spaces. www.hpl.ca/central

Published:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 3:00pm
Red Hill Branch Accessible Door Out of Order

The accessibility door at Red Hill Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.

Published:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 1:30pm
Bookmobile Service Modification

Please note the following Bookmobile visit updates.

Tuesday, February 3
Greencedar (4-5 pm) - Cancelled

Thursday, February 5
Rockton (10:30-11:30 am) - Cancelled
Bennetto Visit will be 5-5:30 pm (instead of 4-5:30 pm)

Tuesday, February 10
McMaster University will be 3:30-4 pm (instead of 3:30-4:30 pm
Greencedar will be 5-5:30 pm (instead of 4-5 pm)
Mountview will be 6-6:30 pm (instead of 5:30-6:30 pm)

Published:
Monday, February 2, 2026 - 3:15pm
Mount Hope - Filming 

On Monday, February 9, Homestead Drive will be closed from 7:30am-1:30pm (local traffic only) due to filming. From 1:30-7:30pm, there will be intermittent traffic control by Hamilton Police. The Branch will remain open. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Friday, January 30, 2026 - 1:45pm
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
Central Library - Daily Hours Update

Starting Monday, February 2, Central Library's daily hours will move back to a 9 am opening instead of 8 am, Monday through Saturday. Please make note of this new service change for your next visit. www.hpl.ca/hours 

Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library - Sunday Hours Paused

Effective Sunday, February 1, Sunday service hours at Central Library will be paused. 

Sunday Hours will continue at Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park and Waterdown Branches from 1-5pm.

www.hpl.ca/hours 

Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
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
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 Power of the Pen Winners

Power of the Pen Creative Writing Contest Award Winners 2021 book, beside a gold cup trophy of similar size

Congratulations to the 2025 Awardees and Honourable Mentions on their literary works. 
 

Poetry 

Age 12 

1st- Norah Yanover, Dont Marry Too Quickly...
2nd- Alyssa Salas-Lynch, Yin and Yang

Honourable Mention:
Samuel Vandenberg, A Turtle and a Bunny

Age 13 

1st- Maia Embuldeniya-Fernand, Revolutions 
2nd- Tofarati Okewole, Rosyln

Honourable Mentions: 
Laura Bruinsma, Peyto Lake

Age 14 

1st- Lyric Brown, The Hollow
2nd- Jared Stassen, Freedom Flight

Honourable Mentions: 
Joanne Zhang, Secrets Within Sound

Age 15 

1st- Anna Metza, Dear Rainbow
2nd- Sibel Zorab, The Alchemist
 
Honourable Mentions: 
Olivia Haas, My First Day of High School

Age 16 

1st- Asher Berkelaar, A Piano 
2nd- Nifemi Okewole, Walking Skeleton

Honourable Mention:
Lana Verzberger, Pen of Shadows

Age 17 
1st- Freda Osayande, Red Bones/ Golden Blood
2nd- Catarina Almeida-Sales, Born Wrong

Honourable Mentions: 
Erica Game, The Sun and the Moon

Age 18 
1st- Marie Njoroge, A Raindrop's Journey Precipitation from Concrete 
2nd- Rami Naamna, Perspectives 

Honourable Mentions: 
Sama Gilani, Suffocating in Fresh Air

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Poetry (French) 
1st- Oliver Prang, The Calm of the Forest
2nd- Oliver Kronwald, Echos d'adieu

Honourable Mention:
Alexis Pereira, Les refugies de la mer

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Short Story 

Age 12 

1st- Gavin Middleton, The Whisper That Woke Ruffles
2nd- Hazal Koc, The Mockingbird 
 

Honourable Mentions: 
Yulbin-Emma Yim, Towards the Horizon
 
Age 13 

1st- Cadence Harris- Bad Parenting 
2nd- Anabia Zia- The Library Between Worlds 

Honourable Mentions: 
Micah Richards, The Colony Catastrophe

Age 14 

1st- Hunter Chrea, Unravelling
2nd- Lucia Mostacedo, Someday, Somehow, Someway

Honourable Mentions: 
Joanne Zhang, Secrets Within Sound 

Age 15 
1st- Marlena Bock, The Cursed Prince
2nd- Tali Sela, The Mud Monster The Promise of the Red 

Honourable Mention:
Nimrah Mahmood, Blankets

Age 16 
1st- Teodora Jovicevic, In Every Life Phatasmagoricalities and Fantasies
2nd- Asher Berelaar, Fantasies

Honourable Mention:
Mia Mijatovic, Me, Myself, and Why?

Age 17 
1st- Jonathan Middleton, How a Cannonball Cracked Open the Truth
Alivia Jonkman- The Chest

Honourable Mention: 
Julia Maas, The Exchange

Age 18
Hassan Al-Nasih, The Little Fish
Alec Aird, King of the Hill 

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Short Story (French) 
Corissa Lemmond, Son Collier D'Emeraude

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The Hamilton Association Young Poet's Award Winner: 

Maitland Banting Silver Quill Award Winner:

For previous years, please visit the Local History & Archives Department at the 3rd floor of the Central Library.