Honorary degree citation - Kathleen Ruby Jenkins*

By: Douglass Burns Clarke, November 1967

Mr. Chancellor:

I present to you Miss Kathleen Jenkins author and for many years the distinguished chief librarian of the Westmount Public Library.

In a city poor in libraries, Miss Jenkins transformed the Westmount Public Library into an instrument which while primarily serving the City of Westmount, was able to give an increasing amount of service to Greater Montreal. But Miss Jenkins' leadership and service far transcended the admirable work she performed in building up her own library. She was liberal with advice to small communities struggling to set up libraries of their own, she was a founding member, and later president, of both the Quebec Library Association (Association des Bibliothecaires du Quebec) and of the Canadian Library Association, and she was special lecturer for many sessions at the Graduate School of Library Science at McGill University. Through these many activities she has been one of the leaders in our city, province, and country in building and improving our libraries which are such an important constituent of our intellectual and cultural life. More recently for example, Miss Jenkins has been Executive Director of Canadian Library Week which marks the importance of our libraries to our nation.

Miss Jenkins has lent her devotion and skill to many aspects of the life of the community. She has spoken frequently to the many groups that have invited her, she was an active participant of the Humanities Association and other such organizations.

Recently since her retirement, she has written an excellent history "Montreal, Island City of the St. Lawrence," which I am sure you know well.

For her many contributions to our community in particular, and on the recommendation of the University Council, and by authority of the Board of Governors, I present to you Miss Kathleen Ruby Jenkins that you may confer upon her the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

* deceased