The following Bookmobile visits are cancelled this month. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Wednesday, May 14: Swansea and Helen Detwiler
Thursday, May 15: Rockton and Meadowlands
Mohawk Gardens, 2-2:30 pm instead
Bennetto, 4:30-5:30 pm instead
Friday, May 16: Huntington Park
Friday, May 30: Huntington Park, Winona, and Maplewood
In preparation for the 1st Floor renovations, the Sherwood Branch will be closed on Wednesday, May 14. It is expected to reopen on Thursday, May 15 with the completion of the basement renovation. Thank you for your understanding.
All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, May 18, and Victoria Day, Monday, May 19. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca.
On Tuesday, May 13, a fire drill will be held at 11 am at Central Library. You may visit the Barton or Locke Branches as alternate locations for your library needs. Thank you for your understanding.
Due to the ongoing roof repair project, noise and parking disruptions are expected to continue until the end of June. Thank you for your patience.
From Monday, May 5 to Saturday, May 31, the Ancaster Branch will be temporarily closed due to a roof and HVAC replacement. During this time, service hours will be available at the Ancaster Rotary Centre, 385 Jerseyville Road West, Ancaster. The last day to pick up your Holds is Thursday, May 1st. Thank you for your understanding.
The digital microfilm machines at Central Library are not working. A single analog machine is available, but it doesn't print. We aim to have the digital devices repaired as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Please be aware of online phishing attempts impersonating Hamilton Public Library and Library Staff. HPL does not solicit paid freelance opportunities through social media or other messaging applications. HPL does not request personal or banking information through social media or require financial compensation when reviewing job applications. Please report phishing schemes to communications@hpl.ca. If you think you are a victim of fraud, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Discovery Space is currently closed. Expected reopening is unknown at this time.
Discovery Spaces are fun, hands-on learning spaces created for you and your child to explore and enjoy STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math) activities together.
Research shows visiting a public library as a child is a wonderful and easy way to nurture a lifelong love of reading and learning. The more kids read, the more successful they are in school and in life.
For every DIscovery Space theme, you can access a list of great books to borrow from our collections.
Play. The art of play helps children put thoughts and words together and connect spoken and written words with real objects and experiences.
Explore. Kids are natural explorers. At the Library, our goal is to nurture curiosity and wonder.
Explore our Discovery Spaces and have fun completing the activity sheets and engaging hands-on, creative activities. Each space has a unique theme and invites families to explore, discover and learn together.
Local History & Archives. To celebrate the City of Hamilton and all our diverse communities, we've included images from the Local History & Archives (LH&A) collection in our Discovery Spaces. LH&A has thousands of historic images of Hamilton available online.
Discovery Spaces use STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math) activities to explore, discover and learn.
Science activities use experiments to look at our natural environment and space.
Technology activities focus on digital literacy, robotics and coding by exploring simple machines
Reading activities explore and writing through basic literacy skills
Engineering activities look at understanding space, planning and design structures and movements.
Arts activities celebrate culture and creativity through music, storytelling and visual arts.
Math activities use shapes, patterns and counting to make numeracy fun.
Discovery Spaces are designed to be inclusive of developmentally appropriate activities for kids (birth - 12 years) that support the development of literacy, learning, and motor and cognitive skills.
Each Discovery Space has a theme that highlights Hamilton's history, culture or natural environment. Themes rotate regularly across branches, with new ones always being added.
Discovery Spaces are available at the following branches and each branch has a different theme:
Discovery Spaces are open when the branch is open.
