Museum Passes Free With Your Library Card

Bethlehem Area Public Library Museum Passes - Borrowing Rules & Information Museum passes are available at the Main Library & South Side branch. (Please refer to the list below which specifies which passes are available at which location. Passes must be returned to the same branch they are borrowed from.) Museum passes can also be [...]

What’s Your Library Card Worth? Check Your Receipt and See.

Have you ever added up what it would cost to buy every book you read, every movie you watch, or every album you listen to? It adds up fast—and for many, it’s simply not affordable. That’s why the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s borrowing program is such a valuable community resource. Now, every time you borrow […]

Bethlehem Japan Peace Project

The Bethlehem Area Public Library and Lehigh Valley-JAJAJA are happy to announce the Japan Peace Project! This project is an interconnected series of art and musical performances to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. We are also celebrating the longstanding 60+ year Sister City relationship between Bethlehem, PA and Tondabayashi, […]

2024 BAPL Annual Report

Here is the 2024 Annual Report from BAPL. Check it out for facts and figures, pictures and stories, and a fun look at last year here at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. A few highlights! Visitors to the Main Library: 173,285 Reference questions answered: 25,788 Items Borrowed: 421,492 You can also read about the new […]

I got my first library card when I was just four years old…

As soon I was old enough to print my name on the form, I made my mom take me to the library. We lived just down the road from the South Side Branch and I couldn’t wait to go. My older brother already had his card and I was so jealous. He loved to read—his […]

A Sleuth-y Success: Sherlock Holmes Event and Vintage Book Fair at BAPL

The Bethlehem Area Public Library’s recent Sherlock Holmes event on September 28 was a smashing success! With a day full of literary excitement, the event kicked off with a vintage book fair that ran from 10 AM to 5 PM. Book collectors, sellers, and enthusiasts had the chance to browse and purchase a wide array […]

An Evening with Sherlock: BAPL Rare Book Auction

BAPL is having a sleuth-y Saturday on September 28! The event will include a vintage book fair during the day (10-5) followed by a ticketed event featuring the greateast literary detective of all time: Sherlock Holmes. We will have tons of vintage books for sale, some for just a few dollars, and some high-end collectible […]

BAPL 2023 Annual Report

Our Annual Report from 2023 is now available online. See below for the full report! It was a busy year marked by the Main Library’s renovation, and also including a great number of events and trainings, and entertaining activities. Memorable moments included: Trunk-or-Treat, Lehigh Valley Book Festival, 11Fest, AppleFest, and more. The report also includes […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]