Hamilton Public Library
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) is a modern public library system that serves a population of more than 500,000 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 now-amalgamated City of Dundas had had its own library in operation since 1822.[2] The outlying rural towns had previously been 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 Local History and Archives department (formerly called Special Collections), 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 1830s, 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 building opened in February 1890. Hamilton was the first city in Canada to erect a new building for the express purpose of housing a library. A HPL branch opened on Hamilton’s Barton Street in 1908.[2] Andrew Carnegie funded a new main library, which opened in 1913. This was in turn replaced by a new, six-storey central library in 1980. Today, only two-thirds of the building houses public collections.
[edit] List of branches
| Branch Name | Address | Location within City |
|---|---|---|
| Ancaster | 300 Wilson St. E. | Ancaster |
| Barton | 571 Barton St. E. | East |
| Binbrook | 2641 Highway 56 | Binbrook |
| Carlisle | 1496 Center Rd | Carlisle |
| Central Library | 55 York Blvd. | Downtown |
| Concession | 565 Concession St. | East Mountain |
| Dundas | 18 Ogilvie St. | Dundas |
| Freelton | 1803 Brock Rd. | Freelton |
| Greensville | 59 Kirby Ave. | Dundas |
| Kenilworth | 103 Kenilworth Ave. N. | East |
| Locke | 285 Locke St. S. | Downtown |
| Lynden | 79 Lynden Rd. | Lynden |
| Millgrove | 857 Millgrove Sdrd. | Millgrove |
| Mount Hope | 3027 Homestead Drive | Mount Hope |
| Picton (Shut Down as of June 2009) | 502 James St N. | Downtown |
| Red Hill | 695 Queenston Rd. | East |
| Rockton | 795 Old Highway 8 | Rockton |
| Saltfleet | 131 Grays Rd. | Stoney Creek |
| Sherwood | 467 Upper Ottawa St. | East Mountain |
| Stoney Creek | 777 Highway 8 | Stoney Creek |
| Terryberry | 100 Mohawk Rd. W. | West Mountain |
| Turner Park | 352 Rymal Road East | South Mountain |
| Valley Park | 970 Paramount Dr. | East Mountain |
| Waterdown | 25 Mill St N. | Waterdown |
| Westdale | 955 King St W. | West |
[edit] References
- ^ "Community Highlights for Hamilton (City)" (html). 2001 Canadian Census. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3525005&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=hamilton&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ a b c "History of the Hamilton Public Library". Hamilton Public Library website. http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/AboutTheLibrary/hplhistory.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
- ^ "Hamilton Public Library Home". Hamilton Public Library website. http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
[edit] External links
