Library · Bethlehem
Bethlehem Area Public Library
Bethlehem’s library is the Bethlehem Area Public Library, a branch of Bethlehem Area Public Library, open about 55 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024School-district system. Bethlehem’s branch belongs to Bethlehem Area Public Library, which serves 118,264 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Bethlehem Area Public Library
11 West Church St., Bethlehem 18018
55 hrsopen a week
41,900sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Bethlehem Area Public Library
177K
visits
1.5 per resident
355K
loans, print + digital
3.0 per resident
1,614
programs & events
19K attended
27K
library cards
23% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
1.5 visits · typical 2.1
A little below typical (27th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
2.8 print items · typical 3.2
A little below typical (43th percentile)
Digital borrowing
0.2 e-items · typical 1.4
Lower than most similar-size libraries (5th percentile)
Kids’ borrowing
1.2 kids’ items · typical 1.6
A little below typical (35th percentile)
Program attendance
0.2 attendees · typical 0.2
A little below typical (31th percentile)
Cardholders
23% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (17th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
355K loans last year
Books & media (adults)54%Kids’ books & media40%E-books, audio & streaming6%
Who the programs are for
1,614 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$26 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $3M.
Local 70%State 21%Gifts & other 9%
Locations
Other Bethlehem Area Public Library branches in Bethlehem
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.