Here and Now
Published in the Hamilton Spectator, October 25, 1980
In 1980, Hamilton Public Library’s main branch relocated again, bringing the regular and special collections back together under one roof, in the newly-constructed, six-storey building at 55 York Boulevard where it remains to this day. The Special Collections department continued expanding its Canadiana Collection and Local History Collection through donations and acquisitions, and eventually designated the Archives and the Rare Books Collection to further organize their vast corpus of historical materials. As the years went by, the contents of the special collections became increasingly focused on Hamilton’s history.
Within the past two decades, Local History and Archives has taken steps to utilize today’s technologies to improve the accessibility of their collections and further expand their resources. In October 2004, the department launched its PreVIEW Digitization project, which saw more than 13,000 two dimensional, non-textual historical images—including photographs, negatives, glass negatives, posters, maps and post cards—ranging from the 1850s to the 1950s uploaded to the PreVIEW online platform. In the 2010s, Local History and Archives began uploading its collection of city directories, dating from 1853 to 1969, to the Internet Archive. Additionally, the Hamilton Public Library holds a subscription to Ancestry Library Edition, which allows members of the public to use Ancestry.com services for free from a library computer.
A Newsworthy Collection
Throughout the 1980s, Hamilton newspapers continued to publish articles that advertised the wealth of archival material in Special Collections department, especially emphasizing the vast collections of photographs and maps. Requests for donations also continued to be published, and with the development of photocopying technology, it became possible for members to donate items without having to part with the original.
Toward a City Archive
By 1987, despite being nearly 150 years since Hamilton’s incorporation, the city still lacked an official archive. The administrative historical records of the different civic departments of Hamilton were stored separately, spread between City Hall other municipally-owned sites. This caused concern that city records dating back as far as 1846 could easily be lost and that the arrangement made it difficult for the public to access these important documents. The Hamilton Public Library pushed for the development of an official city archive that would gather and catalogue all municipal records. Some years later, the city records were incorporated into Special Collections.
Honing in on Hamilton
By 2008, the Special Collections department had made several significant archival acquisitions, including over 2 million images in the Hamilton Spectator negative collection and the personal papers and memorabilia of Ellen Fairclough. Although the department continued to take in materials pertaining more generally to Canada for its Canadiana Collection, the increasing focus on Hamilton led to its name being changed from Special Collections to Local History and Archives. This rebranding occurred just in time for the department’s 100-year anniversary in 2014. To commemorate the event, the Hamilton Public Library sold limited-edition calendars containing photographs from the Local History Collection.