BAPL Main, South Side, and Coolidge are now open for limited and by-appointment browsing! Masks are required as is standard social-distancing protocol. Please note that the procedure is somewhat different at each location. If you have any questions, please call ahead of time. Main Library: Normal hours: Mon – Wed: 9AM – 8PM, Thurs & Fri: […]
The 2019 BAPL Annual Report is here. Read all about the new buildings, services, and other highlights from 2019.
Please note that the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s October board meeting will be held online on October 12, 2020 at 6pm. The virtual meeting will be open to the public as attendees. Attendees will be able to listen to the meeting and make comment at the designated time, following typical public comment procedure. To attend […]
Steelworkers’ Reunion Party, Public Art Project, Steelworker Speaker Series & More Highlight Events and Programs Through November BETHLEHEM, PA—A Steelworkers reunion party, public art project featuring Bethlehem beams, the opportunity for students to discover local history from steelworkers, and the creation of a new children’s book that tells the story of a ‘Tug’ tractor that […]
Beloved magazine Mental Floss has long been collecting and sharing facts to a huge audience for many years. It now lives on as a popular website still bringing the facts to audiences around the globe. We were delighted to see this list of 25 Amazing Facts About Libraries. Among facts about libraries from Ireland to Finland […]
Need to use a computer? Public computers are now available at the Main Library by appointment only. Please follow the below instructions to check availability and schedule an appointment. Call the Adult Services Department at 610-867-3761 x399 We will let you know what times are available and you can schedule an appointment from available options. […]
BAPL has temporarily halted the acceptance of donated books, effective July 20. We need some time to go through the large volume we’ve received recently and are running out of room. Thank you for your generosity! We do not expect this to last for very long, but please refrain from bringing donations of books and […]
Starting Tuesday June 30, BAPL is thrilled to begin offering touchless check-out services! You may place a hold or request a book online or over the phone, and visit Main, the South Side branch, or Coolidge for touchless pickup. How do I place a hold or reserve a book? Call the Main, South Side branch, […]
The Bethlehem Area Public Library is committed to actively supporting essential conversations and actions to confront racism in America. This page will feature antiracist resources available in our collections, links to external resources, and information about library programs that promote antiracist conversation within our community and with our patrons. In our collections Antiracist reading Stamped […]
IN 1976, BAPL’s South Side Branch became an intellectual haven for Bethlehem’s Latinx residents and a “fiesta para todos” would celebrate the library’s new multi-cultural vision and resources available for the Hispanic community. In 2019, through a Mellon Grant from Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium and in partnership with Lehigh University, BAPL’s Janine Santoro began […]
We’ve gotten some email love notes and even some actual love notes on the books being returned. Keep them coming. We miss you too and love seeing your notes! ???
Starting Tuesday June 9, the Bethlehem Area Public Library will accept fine-free returns of all library materials currently on loan to our patrons. There are over 15,000 items checked out! It will take us some time to receive and return them all to our collection safely. In order to prepare to lend them out to […]
Access to Ancestry.com from home has been extended to BAPL patrons from home for the month of May. It can be accessed under “My account” here (top right of page). You will then need to log in using your library card number. Ancestry is a great genealogy tool. It is typically only available in the […]
For many of us, there is no greater feeling than browsing bookshelves–running your finger along the spines, feeling the inspiration, searching for your next great read among your fellow seekers. But we can’t get to the library these days; the Pennsylvania Department of Education closed all public libraries in the state until at least April […]
There’s a new face at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. She’s gazing out over the stacks, opposite the circulation desk. Her name is H.D., and BAPL is thrilled to finally hang her portrait for everyone in our community to enjoy. The portrait will hang permanently in the Main Library at West Church Street, commemorating H.D. […]