January 10, 2024

Announcing the Lehigh Valley Book Festival 2024!

Mark your calendars and get ready for this year’s Lehigh Valley Book Festival! The multi-day event held at BAPL and other venues through the Valley returns for its highly anticipated 2024 edition from March 23 to March 25. There will be special events, author signings, and fun for book enthusiasts of all ages. The 2023 […]

BAPL News, Special Events
June 27, 2023

BAPL on Market Street

While the current Main Library at City Center (11 W. Church St.) has been here for over 50 years, many Bethlehemites have fond memories of the prior home of BAPL on Market Street. A few folks have recently asked for pictures so we thought would be fun to dig through the archives and share some […]

BAPL News, Local History
June 20, 2023

Remembering Meowster, The Cat Who Was Human

Remembering Meowster The Buy-a-Book program at BAPL has been bringing smiles to faces and fostering a love of reading for nearly four decades. This year, amidst the outpouring of donations in memory or honor of loved ones, an intriguing dedication caught our attention. Join us as we delve into the story behind Meowster, the cat […]

BAPL News
June 8, 2023

Renovations at the Main Library: 2023

We are just about complete with our renovation/transformation of the first floor of the Main Library and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Some small improvements are still coming, but we thought this would be a good time to pull the pictures together so you can see how the space was transformed […]

BAPL News
May 22, 2023

Join us for Tales from “A Steelworker’s Life,” May 23

“A Steelworker’s Life”: Lester Clore and Donald Young Resume Engaging Lecture Series on Bethlehem Steel Experiences The captivating storytelling series, “A Steelworker’s Life,” featuring Lester Clore and Donald Young, continues its compelling exploration of their remarkable journeys as former employees of Bethlehem Steel. Following their highly successful talk on March 7th, this eagerly awaited event […]

BAPL News
May 17, 2023

Help Keep Your Community Library Thriving with Your Donation

Simply put, Bethlehem Area Public Library is committed to enriching the community through education and top-notch programming for all of life’s learners. We strive to provide events that you don’t find anywhere else. If you’re passionate about it, we want to hear it. And while our partners and staff work tirelessly to make everything happen, […]

BAPL News
May 2, 2023

Saturday was a busy day!

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 […]

BAPL News
April 13, 2023

BAPL Social Media Policy

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 […]

BAPL News
March 28, 2023

BAPL’s 2022 Annual Report

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!

BAPL News, Uncategorized
March 17, 2023

Lehigh Valley Book Festival: March 25 at BAPL!

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 […]

BAPL News
December 20, 2022

Be A Part of BAPL History! (Help us Renovate the first floor)

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 […]

BAPL News
December 5, 2022

Make a donation to BAPL this holiday season

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 […]

BAPL News
November 28, 2022

Jacob and Ridley Start a Band

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 […]

BAPL News
November 15, 2022

The Book Bike Rides to the Y!

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. […]

BAPL News