Delayed Openings and Closures

Due to Staff training, the following service modifications are planned.

Turner Park: Wednesday, September 2, Noon-1 pm Closure
Red Hill: Friday, September 18, Delayed Opening of 10 am

Visit www.hpl.ca/hours for open alternate locations.

Published:

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 - 2:00pm

Bookmobile Schedule Modifications

Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for September:

Mon, Sept 7: Library Closed - All Stops Cancelled

Tues, Sept 8:

Strathcona Cancelled
McMaster Cancelled

Thurs, Sept 10:

Rockton moved to Saturday
Millgrove moved to Saturday

Sat, Sept 12:

Stoney Creek Cancelled
Riverdale Cancelled

Published:

Monday, August 24, 2026 - 9:30am

Construction at Concession Branch

Due to construction at the Concession Branch hours are changing temporarily, beginning Fri Aug 7 to mid-September.
Mon-Thu 5-7pm
Fri Closed
Sat 9am-5pm

Members can change their Holds pickup location in their library accounts or can contact Staff. Or Holds can be paused until after the branch returns to regular open hours.

Some programs will be moved to the Sherwood Branch, 467 Upper Ottawa St. Please check hpl.ca/events for up-to-date program changes.

Published:

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - 1:15pm

Kenilworth Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order

The accessible washroom at Kenilworth Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.

Published:

Thursday, July 30, 2026 - 5:45pm

Study Halls Pause for Summer Break

After Hours Study Hall is not available in July and August. Hours will resume Tuesday, September 8. www.hpl.ca/study-halls

Published:

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - 3:00pm

Local History and Archives Policy

Loans

Materials from the Local History and Archives collection may be loaned to other institutions or organizations only under the following circumstances:

Authorization is obtained from the Manager, Local History and Archives (or designate).

Documentation is provided for the loan.

The borrower ensures adequate insurance, display, care and handling of the material on loan. If at any time Local History and Archives determines that the material on loan is not being cared for adequately, the Manager, Local History and Archives (or designate) may cancel the loan and request the immediate return of the material.

Digital Preservation

A responsive and relevant archive requires ongoing adaptation to technological change to ensure present-day records are safe and accessible for the people of Hamilton in the future. Digital information is important to our collective culture, knowledge base and history. Recognizing that analog and digital media both have different long-term preservation needs, Local History and Archives supports the active digital preservation systems and practices required to ensure a duty of care is extended to born digital and digitized material.

Collections Representation

Hamilton Public Library's Local History and Archives collections do not yet fully represent the many people and voices that make up Hamilton. The Archives is committed to a concerted effort to recognize, reflect, and amplify diverse voices and perspectives.

Records and descriptions of material held by Local History and Archives contain language or depictions of people which includes problematic wording, cultural references and stereotypes that are no longer used or appropriate today. The presence of materials in the Local History and Archives collection does not constitute an endorsement of their content or viewpoints.

Local History and Archives will actively update archival descriptions, contextualize records and develop a collection that illustrates the history of all Hamilton’s peoples.

Reappraisal and Deaccession

Material added to the Local History and Archives collection shall be held until such time as it is deemed to no longer fit the approved acquisitions policy and is deaccessioned. All information pertaining to the deaccessioning and disposition of material will be retained in the Archives' records.

Guiding Principles for Reappraisal and Deaccession

Archivists must use professional judgment when reappraising collections. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Although it is an important collection management tool, reappraisal does not always lead to deaccessioning.
To ensure consistency, the process should be systematic and both procedure and outcomes thoroughly documented.
Reappraisal and deaccession is a responsible archival practice for better management of collections.

Considerations for Reappraisal and Deaccession

Legal issues of ownership of collections.
Ethical issues regarding the disposition of collections in a transparent manner.
Donor relations.
Resource allocation.

Conflict of Interest

As per the Library Board’s Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy, Local History and Archives library employees will not formally, through trade or purchase for their own personal use, enjoyment, or profit, collect for their personal benefit archival materials which fall within the broad acquisition mandate of Local History and Archives.