Honorary degree citation - Elizabeth Homer Morton*

By: Helen Howard, November 1970

Mr. Chancellor,

I have the honour to present to you Miss Elizabeth Homer Morton, B.A., M.A., LL.D., S.M., one of Canada's most distinguished librarians.

Miss Morton has been a prime mover in the post war expansion of improved library service in Canada. She became secretary of the Canadian Library Council in 1944 and served as Executive Director of the Canadian Library Association from its founding in 1946 until her retirement in 1968. She has been in the forefront of many projects which have shaped Canadian publishing and culture during that period. Today she is a library consultant and presently is engaged in working with the office of Library Resources of the National Library of Canada.

Through her, the Canadian Library Association has undertaken a variety of fruitful projects which have culminated in the creation of Canadian library standards, a National Library, and national publicity for better library service. Miss Morton is also a skilled and scholarly editor, under whose guiding hand important C.L.A. publications have been issued and continue to flourish. The best known are the Canadian Library Journal and the Canadian Periodical Index. Additionally, the Association's microfilm project has made available long runs of early Canadian newspapers for historical researchers delving into Canada's past.

Since 1946 many new libraries have been built in Canada, and Canadians have better access to books and instructional materials than ever before. This impetus for change has come largely from the Canadian Library Association, working with governments and interested groups. Perhaps more than anyone else, Miss Morton has been the powerhouse within it. Enthusiasm, wit, and dedication are her trademarks.

When she retired in 1968 Miss Morton re-entered the University of Chicago Graduate Library School and earned an M.A. The Governor-General of Canada has bestowed on her the Medal of Service of the Order of Canada. A volume of Festschrift has been published in her honour.

Mr. Chancellor, I am honoured to present to you, on behalf of the University Council, and by authority of the Board of Governors, Miss Elizabeth Morton, so that you may confer on her the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

* deceased