Hamilton Public Library

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The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) is a modern library system that serves a population of more than 490,268 people in Hamilton, Ontario.^[1] Once restricted to the city of Hamilton, the HPL service area was expanded when the outlying townships were amalgamated into the City in 2001. The amalgamated Dundas Library, had its own library in operation since 1822.^[2] The outlying rural towns were previously served by the Wentworth Libraries system. In 2001, the Wentworth and Dundas libraries amalgamated with the HPL into a single system with 24 branches, 34 bookmobile stops, a virtual online branch and a Visiting Library Service for the homebound. ^[2] Other HPL services include the Special Collections department, which houses an extensive collection of local history resources, and the Learning Centre, which provides access to language materials for new Canadians. In recent years, the HPL’s collection of online resources has expanded rapidly, and now features more than 30 databases covering a great variety of topic areas. ^[3]

Public libraries have operated in Hamilton since the 1830’s, although the first branches were privately operated and tended to be ephemeral in nature. Hamilton city council voted to publicly fund the construction and operation of a library in 1889. This new branch opened in February 1890. Hamilton was the first city in Canada to erect a new building for the express purpose of housing a library. The first HPL branch opened on Hamilton’s Barton Street in 1908. ^[2]