Banker & Tradesman photo / file

Berkshire Bank’s Reevx Labs has launched an online community platform to provide resources for small businesses, nonprofits and artists. As part of the launch, Reevx Labs has partnered with the Boston Public Library’s Kirstein Business Library & Innovation Center to give users access to the library’s business resources and expert staff.

The online platform at ReevxLabs.com will provide a opportunities for entrepreneurs, artists, small businesses and non-profit organizations to make connections, explore collaboration and access resources to succeed, Berkshire Bank said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to launch ReevxLabs.com at a time when social distancing is necessary and many individuals, small businesses and organizations find it particularly difficult to make connections or find support. Berkshire is the first bank to launch an online community platform, such as Reevx Labs, and we believe that our mission is more relevant and desired than ever,” Malia Lazu, Berkshire Bank’s executive vice president and chief culture and experience officer, said in a statement. “We are particularly excited to announce a key partnership with the Boston Public Library as part of this initiative. This collaboration, the first of many we are planning, will provide valuable content and educational resources to our members, as we work together to empower the people who build our local communities.”

Reevx Labs opened in Roxbury earlier this year as a co-working space that would also provide community resources and financial education.

“Reevx Labs operates with a commitment to banking the underbanked with dignity and a guiding belief that by disrupting the traditional barriers to capital – financial, social and business know-how – we can build new economies that change our communities and our world,” Berkshire Bank said in a statement.

The Boston Public Library will provide weekly content on ReevxLabs.com and offer additional educational services for members including:

• Book recommendations: Library staff will send suggested topics by and for small business owners and entrepreneurs, themed by month.
• Open hours: A business librarian will be available on a regular basis by videochat to answer questions about business and non-profit resources at the library, including information about grants.
• YouTube series: Beginning late June, library staff will host an online series discussing various business topics and answering questions submitted by viewers.

“We are proud to work with Reevx Labs and Berkshire Bank in their mission to better our communities across the region by supporting the entrepreneurs, artists and small organizations within them,” Gregor Smart, curator at KBLIC, said in a statement. “As the country’s oldest public library system, the Boston Public Library deeply appreciates how knowledge, when it is shared, empowers people and communities and builds equity.  We’re especially excited to share the extensive business resources and know-how of the Kirstein Business Library & Innovation Center – and its staff – with the dynamic makers and doers who make up the Reevx Labs community.”