As early as 1751, the community claimed a library (the Bethlehem Congregational Library) with another organized in 1831 (the Bethlehem Library Company). However, by the turn of the twentieth century, a library that provided access to all of the population of Bethlehem did not exist. The organization of the Library of the Bethlehems in 1901 was the first concerted effort to avail reading material to all of Bethlehem's citizens. On December 1, 1900 nine prominent women from Bethlehem's north, south and west sides met to "consider the need of a Public Library in the Bethlehems and to devise methods by which it might be established."* On February 1, 1901 the doors to the free reading room and library officially opened to the public.

The first library and reading room was located in rooms of the Leinbach and Doster building on south Main Street. By 1902, the library had outgrown its space and changed its site to 80 S. Main Street at the northeast corner of Main and Market above the Post Office.The library continued to grow and, in 1925, Bethlehem Steel provided the use of the Bethlehem Steel Band building located at 11 West Market Street. With a few renovations and additions, this building served its purpose adequately; however, the needs of an increasing population and its demands on the Central Library location again forced the consideration of a new facility. In 1967 the library moved to 11 West Church Street — a building six times the size of its previous facility. Through foresight, planning, and occasional renovation, the current facility has met the needs of the community for over thirty years.

Ever-changing electronic developments continue to change the operations of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. Rather than a homey atmosphere reported in early twentieth century libraries, the library of the twenty-first century is one of a charged energy fostered by the exchange of ideas in oral, electronic and traditional text formats. Adapting to this era of rapid change is the twenty-first century library's greatest challenge, and the Bethlehem Area Public Library is meeting it head on in a number of ways.Through collaboration with academic institutions, the Bethlehem Area Public Library is producing digital projects that provide the public with access to rare and fragile documents while preserving them for future generations. By creating partnerships with academic and public libraries in the Lehigh Valley, the library is able to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive records for the Bethlehem community. And, of course, providing the library's patrons with the most recent fiction and non-fiction materials remains the backbone of the Bethlehem Area Public Library.