[1] HPL services include the Local History and Archives department (formerly called Special Collections), which houses an extensive collection of local history resources and government documents from the City of Hamilton, 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] Hamilton city council voted to publicly fund the construction and operation of a library in 1889.

Hamilton was the first city in Canada to erect a new building for the express purpose of housing a library.

[4] The outlying rural towns had previously been served by the Wentworth Libraries system.