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 […]
It was a summer of prizes at BAPL. At the Main Library, we had more than 200 entries in our Summer Reading Raffle for adults. To enter, library users filled out a short book review or told us about something the library made possible for them. Eight winner received a gift card to a local […]
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 […]
BAPL is proud to be a drop-off location for “Plant-A-Row” again this year. Plant-A-Row Lehigh Valley is a group of local gardeners who donate surplus to neighbors in need. Then, their volunteers transport donations received to area food pantries, meal centers, soup kitchens and shelters. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still […]
City residents are invited to help shape the future of Bethlehem. Take the “We Build Bethlehem” survey today. We Build Bethlehem will also be used to share the City’s plans and progress for a variety of upcoming initiatives, available online in English and in Spanish at webuild.bethlehem-pa.gov. We thank you for your partnership as #WeBuildBethlehem […]