Bethlehem Area Public Library highlights workforce, outreach and food-security work

Josh Burke, executive director of the Bethlehem Area Public Library, told the Northampton County Council Economic Development Committee on Aug. 7 that the library has broadened services beyond lending to include workforce supports, a bookmobile, a recording studio and food-security activities.
“We are the library that serves the city of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Hanover Township, and Fountain Hill,” Burke said, noting the system’s service area covers more than 120,000 residents. He described recent capital and program investments, including a new bookmobile and a renovated main library first built in 1967.
Burke said the library has created “huddle rooms,” small glass-enclosed workspaces for remote workers and tutors; introduced a LinkedIn Learning subscription available to cardholders; and operates meeting rooms used by nonprofits, small businesses and community groups. The library also offers a recording studio, funded with a grant in partnership with Lehigh University, that patrons use to record podcasts and other projects.
On food-security work, Burke said the library is a summer feeding site for children and has experimented with adult meal partnerships and a “blessing box” for donated food at branches. He said libraries nationwide are testing approaches such as hydroponic gardens and other locally tailored programs; Bethlehem’s library plans a hydroponic project in its Township branch to grow vegetables for donation and educational use.
Burke described daily operational challenges: “We see a ever increasing number of folks using the library as a shelter, you know, all day every day,” he said, and added staff have requested training to better handle encounters with individuals experiencing untreated addiction or severe mental illness.
Committee members praised libraries as community anchors and asked Burke to return with data after the Greater Lehigh Valley arts survey and other initiatives produce results. No formal funding actions for the library were taken during the meeting.