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 […]
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!
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
We are happy to announce the release of a new BAPL Books publication: THE GIANT MOVES. The story began when Mike Piersa of the National Museum of Industrial History contacted us about a new book possibility featuring the Whitworth Bending Press. The Bending Press — an enormous piece of equipment weighing almost one million pounds! […]
We are excited to be part of the upcoming First Friday at the Banana Factory (Sept 2, 7pm) and even more excited about the mural! The mural depicts leaders in the Latinx community hanging out at BAPL! The unveiling of the mural is also part of the launch of Voces de la Comunidad, a brand […]
If you’ve been past the Main Library recently, you may have noticed some bright yellow wheels alongside the porch. This colorful contribution is a brand new bike rack, courtesy of a local Eagle Scout candidate named Toby Lader. Toby reached out to us at the library with an idea to create a new bike rack […]
We had such a great time hosting the unveiling of artist Raisa Kochmaruk’s mural here at BAPL on July 10. The mural itself will be hung at the City’s Walnut Street parking garage later this year. An excellent interview with Raisa about the project can be heard here. She talked birds and art with LV […]
We are happy to share the three-year Strategic Plan for BAPL, which addresses our top priorities and plans for the years 2022-2024. This strategic plan cycle began in an unprecedented global pandemic which has impacted the community’s health, economy, education — and the library. Despite the continuation of pandemic disruptions, themes were identified during the […]
Check out our 2021 Annual Report! You can read about all the fun things (virtual and in-person) we did last year and learn more about library programs. In total, 379,565 were checked out in 2021. And we cut the ribbon on another new library location. And so much more! Read on!
Books on the Hill had a visitor from Capitol Hill the other day. While in her home district from D.C. on April 11, Representative Susan Wild stopped by the Fountain Hill location of BAPL to deliver a donation of boxes books that came from the Library of Congress. Congresswoman Wild is a big lover of […]
BETHLEHEM, PA– We are happy to announce the re-dedication of BAPL’s Coolidge location following an unexpected interaction with one of our favorite actresses. Jennifer Coolidge, the actress famous for The White Lotus, Best in Show, and many other successful films, connected with BAPL on social media after we expressed our fandom of her work. She was very […]