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Mount Hope Branch - Photocopy and Scanning Unavailable

Photocopying and scanning are currently not available at Mount Hope Branch. Printing is available. Estimated time of disruption is unknown. Thank you for your patience.

Affected Branch:

Mount Hope Branch

Nearest Branches:

Terryberry Branch

Turner Park Branch

Publish Date:

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 4:45pm

Printing Unavailable- Concession branch

Printing is not available at the Concession Branch today, Tuesday March 11. Estimated time of disruption is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience.

Affected Branch:

Concession Branch

Nearest Branches:

Central Library

Sherwood Branch

Publish Date:

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 12:00pm

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.

Publish Date:

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 10:30am

Turner Park Branch - Large Format Printer Unavailable

The large format printer at Turner Park is currently unavailable. Please utilize our other Makerspace locations if needed. We will advise once it is restored to service.

Affected Branch:

Nearest Branches:

Publish Date:

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 - 9:00am

Roadwork near Barton Branch

Starting Monday March 17, the City of Hamilton begins roadwork on Wilson Street and Sherman Avenue. The construction will be completed in stages until December 2025. There may be traffic delays if you are planning to visit the Barton Branch.

Affected Branch:

Barton Branch

Nearest Branches:

Central Library

Publish Date:

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 - 9:00am

Research Your House

New House in Westdale

Various sources can be used to document the history of a building. Except for well-known Hamilton-area homes, most do not have a ready-made history to consult. Therefore, the researcher must construct a history from scratch using available sources. This process can take time, and unfortunately, some properties may have very few, if any, historical records.

Local History and Archives contains various potentially useful resources to research houses. These records include:

Telephone Directories

These directories show names, addresses and telephone numbers for the Hamilton-Wentworth region.

City Directories

Researchers and genealogists use city directories to trace individuals, families and businesses. They usually include an alphabetical listing of adult residents, with their occupations and addresses.

Assessment Records

Tax assessment records help accurately date a building's construction and disclose its original owner and list of occupants.

Land Registry Records

These records detail the chain of ownership of a property using plan and lot number.

Maps

Local History and Archives has several large scale maps that show the shape, size and exact location of individual buildings.

Historical Photographs

If your building was known by a name in addition to its address, you can search under that heading in our card catalogue. In the Local History and Archives reading room, check the Where-to-Look card catalogue under Hamilton – Street Address and Number or Hamilton – Name of house for a citation to the Image Collection. You can also check photographs of the street the house is located on to see if your building is shown.

There are also specialized finding aids for other collections available in Local History and Archives.

To obtain more information about the people associated with the building, you may wish to check family papers, clipping files, census returns, genealogical indexes, funeral home indexes, cemetery indexes, promotional booklets, photographs, local publications and other sources within Local History and Archives.

Check in the Where-to-Look under the surname or ask for assistance at the Local History and Archives Information Desk.

There are also invaluable records that can be requested through the City of Hamilton's Property Record Search and through the Ontario Land Registry (OnLand).