The team that runs the  GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library (BPL) is ramping up its activities, experimenting with new formats and loving every minute of it. Last year, they produced 120 events that drew 5,000 attendees. This year, they’re aiming to attract 7,000. We chatted with Sandra López Burke, managing director of community and government relations, and Evelyn Brito, studio manager and event producer, who make up the team along with intern Areta Odiah.

How does it benefit GBH to have a studio at the BPL?

SLB: The studio was established in 2016 in the heart of Copley Square at the Central Branch of the BPL. It is truly one of a kind in this country. It is fully accessible to the community, free and open to the public. It has broadcast capabilities, event space and the Newsfeed Café — a wonderful mix. The space allows us to bring GBH’s greatest content and talent to a locale in the center of the city.

Are there any events that have been particularly special?

SLB: Earlier this year, we opened up the studio to students from the Loop Lab in Cambridge who want to learn more about journalism and production. Loop Lab is a BIPOC-led nonprofit that offers media arts internships and digital storytelling. They met with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan and the team of Boston Public Radio. I don't know who had more fun, the students or Jim and Margery and our technicians and engineers. There was such rapport, learning and sharing.

EB: We hosted  The State of Race: The Latino Housing Crisis, which covered sensitive subjects related to housing and people experiencing homelessness. We realized that if we are going to discuss a heavy subject, we want to make sure that informational resources are available to members of the audience who may be struggling to pay their rent, interested in buying a home or solving some other problem.

What’s the vibe of the GBH BPL Studio?

EB: The vibe is lively but it’s also quiet. We share the space with our partners at the Newsfeed Café, so there’s a very welcoming sound of people talking, along with the aroma of food and coffee. I’m there four days a week and I sit where everybody else sits — I don't sit behind the camera. People ask me a lot of questions and I get a lot of feedback and ideas, which is great because that helps me understand what our audiences need.

SLB: The space is very community oriented. It’s like when a family comes together — you eat together, and you talk. That’s what we do at the library, and it really helps us engage with our community and build an audience in very meaningful and new ways.

What new programming is coming up?

EB: We’re looking to diversify our programs and the people who come in to enjoy them. Representation matters and it's important that people see themselves within our space. When we produce content, like the GBH series The State of Race or an event featuring the Spanish language podcast “Salud,” those programs really resonate with communities.

SLB: We're engaging the BIPOC community in a very intentional way. We want everyone walking by to feel, ‘this is a place for me. This is a place I want to walk into and discover what’s going on.’

Here are three new programs to look forward to:

  • Outspoken Saturdays, a teen spoken word performance, is curated with Amanda Shea, a spoken word artist and a teacher. We’ll have a new theme every month. The first one, in April, is "What matters to you," which is also GBH’s new tagline and our call to action. We’ll curate a show for teens to present the art and poetry that matters to them.
  • We’re bringing music back to the library, with Lounge Thursdays. We’re kicking off with a collaboration with JazzBoston that will feature Boston-based Temidayo Balogun, a Nigerian saxophonist, pianist and composer. For future events, we’re looking forward to collaborating with our GBH Music partners.
  • Press Play, a monthly children’s program on Saturdays is also in the works. We’re working with the New England Conservatory on a storytelling program for kids. We had such a great experience launching GBH’s new children’s series Work it Out Wombats! at the library that we want to do more.

How are you connecting with all of these community organizations?

SLB: Through my community relations role I’m making sure that as we meet folks, we’re listening to their ideas and sometimes integrating what they have to offer into our programs, whether it’s speaking at a forum or performing as an artist. We go to a lot of community meetings and we’re always networking. We can't be for and of the community if we’re not in the community. We network in our personal lives too. It's part of who we are.

See the schedule of GBH Studio at the BPL events — including Boston Public Radio every Thursday and Friday 11am-2pm — here or stop by anytime at 700 Boylston Street, Tuesday-Saturday.