Terryberry Accessible Washroom on the 1st Floor - Out of Order
The accessible washroom on the 1st floor of Terryberry library is unavailable.
All Branches - HPL Guest WiFi Not Available
IT maintenance is scheduled from 8 am to 10:30 am on Sunday, January 19. This will impact access to HPL's Guest WiFi. Thank you for your patience.
Phishing Scheme
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.
Library Services Update
- JAWS (Job Access With Speech) computers are not available.
- Photocopying and scanning services are available at all branches except at the Westdale Branch. Print on the Go is currently not available.
Contact Library Staff at 289-779-7588, hpl.ca or askus@hpl.ca. Check hpl.ca/events for programs and hpl.ca/hours for open hours.
Project History
Since 1914, Hamilton Public Library has collected, preserved and curated historical materials, incuding, clipping files, archives, rare books, periodicals, historical memorabilia, pamphlets, photographs and topical scrapbooks on a wide range of topics about Hamilton. The collection includes more than three million images depicting the history of the city and surrounding areas dating from the mid-1800s.
The PreVIEW Digitization project started in October 2004 as a sustainable approach to digitization at Hamilton Public Library. Two-dimensional, non-textual historical images, including photographs, negatives, glass negatives, posters, maps, and postcards from the 1850s to the 1950s, were selected from the collection and targeted for digitization.
The project makes digital images accessible online, providing a resource for students, researchers, educators and the general public. It raises public awareness of the library’s tremendous resources through online exhibitions and library programs and lead to substantially increased use. Access is global, showcasing HPL's collection far beyond our traditional physical reach. Digitization also enables the preservation and conservation of the library’s image collections, and affirms a responsibility to protect rare materials while making them publicly accessible.
Our focus in the coming years is to digitize more of the collection and increase access to more images with the use of online digital formats. More than 13,000 historical images are available online, with high-resolution copies.
