Inspiration Files: Toronto Reference Library Picture Collection Guided Tour

INSPIRATION FILES: Toronto Reference Library Picture Collection Guided Tour invites art department professionals, students, and all who are interested in visual storytelling to explore one of Toronto’s most inspiring creative resources for research and design.

During this guided visit, participants will discover how to access and navigate the Toronto Reference Library’s Picture Collection, which houses over a million photographs, illustrations, and clippings organized by subject. The collection serves as a hands-on resource for designers seeking visual inspiration, period references, or thematic imagery to inform their creative work.

Participants will gain insight into how the Picture Collection can support research, mood development, and design planning across departments—from the earliest stages of concept development to final on-screen details.

Please plan to arrive by 12:45 PM.

📍 Meeting Point: Main floor lobby, just before the metal detectors
📍 Address: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4W 2G8

Rose Lagace will meet you there and be wearing a denim jacket and carrying a CPD tote bag with a red CPD logo. We’ll head upstairs together at 12:55 PM. If you arrive late, please head directly to the Picture Collection on the 5th floor, located within the Marilyn & Charles Baillie Special Collections Centre.

Our tour with the librarian of the Picture Collection runs from 1:00–1:45 PM, followed by a short creative exercise where we’ll review two script descriptions, find visual inspiration for those sets, and share what we learn about the research process. We’ll wrap up by 2:30 PM.

Please remember this is a working library — keep voices low and avoid photographing patrons.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

No RSVP required!