Personal
Marian Elizabeth Gelinas was born in Rahway, New Jersey on October 31, 1940. Meg is known by many as Meg Richeson, having taken the surname of her first husband. After her marriage to her second husband, Steven Horn, she also became known as Meg Horn. She died March 16, 2019. Meg Horn obituary 2019
Education
- BA (Honours) in English and Psychology. from the College of Wooster in Ohio.
- 1968 BLS and MLS in Information Science and Rural Sociology from the University of Alberta 1968.
Career
Meg combined her background in libraries and her studies in information science and rural sociology to join two other consultants in creating the ground breaking Alberta Rural Libraries Project, a massive three volume work.
1974 Justice Development Commission (forerunner of the current Legal Services Society). Meg was instrumental in carrying out the JDC’s mandate to get information on the law into the hands of the public. She created BC’s first legal information resource center for the public, promoted popular legal information collections in public libraries and legal information courses in public schools. She also provided legal education for personnel at the new B.C. Justice Institute. Not only did she influence the roles of public libraries in Canada but her influence also extended as far away as Australia.
1980 Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (PLEA). First Executive Director.
1984 Justice Canada, Ottawa. In this position, Meg advocated federal funding to extend the network of Canadian public legal education and information organizations from sea to sea to sea. She was involved in major justice policy initiatives on young offenders and impaired driving. She was also the Department’s driving force behind its funding of ACJNet, Canada’s first portal to legal information on the internet.
1997 Justice Canada, Whitehorse. Meg continued working for Justice Canada as a Senior Analyst but was seconded to the Yukon Her background in development and policy were then tapped by the federal government as a Senior Economist with Indian and Northern Affairs. She continued working in economic development with the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce until she retired to Nanaimo, BC in 2011.
Comments
- Meg was brilliant in communicating complex ideas. Her passion energized governments, the legal profession, educators, and libraries to strive to promote and extend services aimed at more available access to legal information. She was tireless in delivering this message. She could be counted on to deliver compelling addresses and to write articles elaborating the right of people to have access to legal information. Meg connected people across Canada helping to create coalitions to deliver access to the law and public policy on justice issues. In an article in 1977, Meg said, “We work in public legal information and education services because we want to help others live with it, and to change what we – and they – cannot live with.”
- Meg made friends from coast to coast to coast. She had an enormous capacity for friendship and delighted in entertaining friends. She was devoted to her friends and family. Her drive was unstoppable and her zest for life boundless. She took on bold challenges and improved the access of Canadians to information on law and policy.
Publications
Richeson, Marion, Legal Information Services in British Columbia, EL. vr. No 3 1977 Jan/Feb Richeson Legal Information Services in British Columbia.
Honors
1987, Sandra Garvie Award of Merit for her outstanding contributions to the field of Public Legal Education from the Legal Resource Centre of Alberta, Ltd.
Meg received the coveted Public Service leadership award
in 1994 for her role in creating the Access to Justice Information Network (ACJNet), Canada’s first portal to legal information resources and services.