We knew we were busy on April 29 at the Main Library as we celebrated the re-opening of the first floor with an Open House to show off the new renovations. We wondered exactly how busy, so we checked the numbers. According to our door counter at the front door there were 1,148 people who […]
At its April 10, 2023 Board Meeting, the Board of the Bethlehem Area Public Library adopted a social media policy. The full text of the policy is below. BAPL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY PURPOSE The Bethlehem Area Public Library (the “BAPL”) shares information about the library with the community and engages patrons through social media. The […]
We are happy to share with you our 2022 Annual Report. It’s kind of a large file, so give it a minute to download. A few highlights are below. We are so lucky to have such a supportive community and so many partners who make BAPL thrive!
We are excited to invite you to this year’s Lehigh Valley Book Festival, presented in partnership with Let’s Play Books! This festival is an excellent opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate books and the written word. With dozens of authors in attendance, you’re sure to find something that piques your interest. There […]
When the Main Library at City Center opened in 1967, it was the bee’s knees. There were towering bookshelves, large oak reading tables, and more reference books than you could shake a stick at. But it’s time to make some changes, freshen up the place, and reflect the needs of a 21st century library. We’ll […]
It‘s time for a New Year‘s celebration for the little ones in your family! Join us at the library for a noon-time ball drop on December 30. There will be fun and dancing with DJs from DJ collective Nite Liters LLC! They know how to make a party and we‘ll be ringing in the new […]
Holiday Season Gifts & Donations Libraries are essential to communities because they provide free education and resources to the public. The Bethlehem Area Public Library has been giving all library users a place to connect with friends, meet new people, expand their learning, and practice their skills and talents. Since 1901, we have planned and […]
This past weekend a new book was born! Lehigh Valley artist/skateboarder/musician Ray Gurz brought us the lovable twosome “Jacob and Ridley” last year in their debut adventure Jacob and Ridley Head to the Park. This year they’re back with book #2 in a rockin’ new adventure, Jacob and Ridley Start a Band. Ray signed books, did some drawings, and […]
On November 8, BASD students had off for Election Day and our friends at the Bethlehem YMCA told us there would be a lot of students there that day. What better day to show up with our new book bike! Library Board President Anne Felker did the honors of pedaling the bicycle down Broad St. […]
We hope to see you all on Friday 11/11/22 for 11FEST! Here is the schedule of performers, subject to change but likely to be pretty much like this. This event is held in the Cohen Room at the Main Library. It is a suggested $11 donation. Can’t make it to 11FEST but still want to […]
Here at BAPL we are holding a celebration in honor of Kurt Vonnegut’s 100th birthday. The great author was born on November 11, 1922. He died in 2007 but the 100 year mark of his birth is a great excuse to hold a party and do a read-aloud of Slaughter-House Five. Would you like to sign […]
You know the date already: 11/11! The annual 11Fest concert at the Bethlehem Area Public Library is right around the corner. This fundraising event will feature at least eleven live performers who play all different kinds of music. Each one gets a little bit louder until the end when we turn it up to 11 […]
Our library theme song now has a sweet tee to go with it! In loud bright pink, you too can advertise your fondness for making a little noise in the library. Proceeds support Studio 11, the free public recording studio at BAPL. The shirt features a drawing by rocker and friend of the BAPL Dan […]
A new scholarly tool normally only found at colleges and universities is now available for anyone to use at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. It’s a digital library called JSTOR –short for Journal Storage–and it offers access to millions of articles in thousands of scholarly journals. BAPL is one of the few public libraries that […]
Back in 2020, IronPigs Charities awarded BAPL a grant for a really fun new initiative: a book-powered mini library! Call it a pedal-powered bookmobile. Or just “the book bike” (though technically it is a tricycle). It looks like an ice cream trike you’d see down the shore. But filled with books! Our plan is to […]