There was no hushing of voices at the Bloor/Gladstone Library on Saturday, October 20.

The library filled with young professionals for “Hush Hush: Dewey Decimal to Digital,” an evening fundraiser thrown by the Toronto Public Library Foundation’s young professional group, New Collection.

The event was filled with both nostalgic nods to the past and photo ops. The novelty of being able to party in a library was felt by all party guests, as they danced in the stacks and chose from no shortage of books as photo props.

Guests didn’t go hungry at this party thanks to eats from some of Toronto’s top caterers, like the beloved Food Dudes, Thoroughbred, and 10tation. An added party perk, was a candy bar from gourmet gummy brand Squish Candy. Homegrown foodie and media personality Lauren Toyota served up vegan comfort food from her Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face cookbook, including a crowd-pleasing vegan Philly cheese steak.

The bars offered beverages from Open Wines, Last Straw Distillery, Skyy Vodka, Eska Water, and Just Craft Soda. Upon entry, guests were greeted with Aperol Spritz cocktails courtesy of Campari. New this year, Amsterdam Brewery created a custom brew for the occasion, which is sold at Amsterdam BrewHouse Pub for a limited time, where $1 from every pint purchased will be donated to the Toronto Public Library.


 

An appreciated interactive element of the affair was an immersive VJ musical performance from Toronto-based creative agency Array of Stars that spotlighted the synth beats of DJ Barbi. The talented DJ mixed in vinyl selected by guests from the library’s collection of 15,000 records and a massive screen lit up the dance floor. Another interactive feature was a popular photo booth that invited guests to go back to the analog era and featured retro boom boxes.

All funds raised from the evening – an impressive $76,000 – support the Toronto Public Library’s initiatives to bridge the digital divide.

TPL Foundation

TPL Foundation

 

Also check out Hush Hush 2016 ,2015, and 2013.

Special thanks to Kirsten Melville-Gray and Knot PR.

Photos by Nick Lee

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