Memorable Manitobans: Marjorie Gertrude Morley (1910-1993)

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Marjorie Gertrude Morley
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Librarian.

Born at Winnipeg on 8 February 1910, daughter of Arthur Willans Morley and Gertrude Marion Wilson (1881-1972), she attended St. Mary’s Academy, the University of Manitoba (BA) and McGill University, graduating from the latter with a degree in Library Science. She joined the Manitoba civil service in 1935, working at the Manitoba Legislative Library from 1941. In 1955, she became the first woman appointed to the position of Provincial Librarian of Manitoba, replacing J. L. Johnston upon his death.

She played a significant role in the development of the Manitoba Legislative Library and the establishment of the first regional libraries in Manitoba. She left the position in 1970. That same year, she was awarded a Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society. She served as President of the Manitoba Library Association and, in 1971, she chaired an MLA committee which prepared the book Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba. She also compiled A Bibliography of Manitoba from Holdings in the Legislative Library of Manitoba.

She died at Winnipeg on 12 January 1993 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Auditorium / Archives of Manitoba / Manitoba Legislative Library (200 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

“New librarian has grown up with her job,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 November 1955.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 13 January 1993.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 June 2019

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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