All Bookmobile visits are cancelled today, Thursday, January 15 due to winter weather conditions. Stay tuned for updates on Friday, January 16.
Bookmobile Stops Cancelled
Published:
Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 12:00pm
Branch Closures
Barton, Binbrook, Carlisle, Concession, Freelton, Greensville, Locke, Lynden, Mount Hope, Parkdale, Stoney Creek, Waterdown and Valley Park Branches are closed All Day on Thursday, January 15, 2026 due to poor weather. Study Halls are open tonight with the exception of Waterdown and Valley Park Branches.
Published:
Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 12:00pm
Delayed Branch Openings
The following Branches open at 1pm: Ancaster, Dundas, Kenilworth, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Saltfleet, Westdale and Sherwood.
Extended Access is not available.
Published:
Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library - Delayed Opening
Central Library opens at Noon today, Thursday, January 15. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 7:00am
Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton
Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton January 14, 2025.
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:
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 - 4:00pm
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
Call for Judges: Power of the Pen
The 30th Annual Power of the Pen is Hamilton Public Library's long-standing competition for teens. Teens ages 12-18 from Hamilton and surrounding areas can submit poems and short stories (in English, French or both) to receive feedback from writing professionals. First and second-place entries qualify for the Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art's (HAALSA) Maitland Banting Silver Quill Award or Poetry Award.
As adults, past winners have used their writing skills to inform, inspire, entertain and persuade in careers as journalists, authors, artists, lawyers, politicians and teachers.
This year, we have the following Volunteer Judge opportunities available:
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Poetry and Short Story categories for ages 12-15: local English teachers and Children and Young Adult authors Canada-wide.
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Poetry and Short Story categories for ages 16-18: Children and Young Adult authors Canada-wide and local English teachers.
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French Poetry and Short Story categories for ages 12-18: Francophone writers and educators Canada-wide.
Volunteer Judges can expect to receive an electronic package of entries in November 2024 and have six weeks to review, provide brief feedback, choose a 1st- and 2nd- place winner and any (optional) Honourable Mentions.
In recruiting for this Volunteer team, HPL welcomes the unique contributions one brings in: education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs. Hamilton Public Library is an equal opportunity employer and strives to build balanced teams.
Learn more information about the annual writing competition:
https://teens.hpl.ca/articles/power-pen-creative-writing-contest
If you have any questions or are interested in a Volunteer Judge role or providing feedback, support, and encouragement to teen writers, please email mnichols@hpl.ca.
