Intoxicated adults and verbal outbursts have become all too frequent on the first floor of Hamilton’s Central Library, and as a result, the children’s section will be moving.
Councillor Ted McMeekin says the Library Board will be moving the children’s section because the situation has become “so tense over there, some of the things going on … there’s been a 62 percent drop in mothers bringing their kids into the library.”
UPDATE: The HPL states the 62 percent drop figure is “circulation of Central Library’s Children’s materials.
The Library CEO agrees and says they are working on short-term and long-term measures to make the environment more welcoming for families with children.
“The Central children’s department level of activity has not recovered at Central from the pandemic,” Chief Librarian and CEO Paul Takala says. “Besides the general state of York Blvd in the area, too frequent verbal outbursts and intoxication of adults is creating an obstacle to bringing children into Central.”
“Libraries are meant for moms, dads and kids,” McMeekin said. “It’s a tragedy that the situation has been allowed to evolve into a situation where we have to move the kids section, just to avoid the difficulties.”
McMeekin’s comments came during a vote to receive, for administrative purposes, a 115-signature petition calling on City Council to designate libraries as “safe drug consumption sites.” The petition was widely opposed in the community, including by the Hamilton Public Library, and gained no support when presented to the Public Health Sub-Committee.
The Library does not have firm timelines for the move.
“We will be working on a formal plan then seeking capital funding to execute the plan,” Takala says.
In the short term, sound baffling is being added on the first floor, and the layout of the children’s section is being adjusted.
When the move occurs, the Library will be able to expand the size of the children’s space and have more washrooms dedicated for children and families.
“Children are only 4 years old once, and if families are deterred from using the library because of our current challenges downtown, the impacts for those children could be experienced for a very long time,” Takala says.
“Helping families raise the next generation of readers is one of our core responsibilities.”
Production Details
v. 1.1.0
Published: May 8, 2025
Last updated: May 8, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
v. 1.1.0 added Library clarification of McMeekin statement.
I think this kind of puts to rest the Ward 2 councillors argument that the fear of going downtown for families is mainly just a perceived fear, and not based on facts.