Lillian H. Smith

Lillian Helena Smith (17 March 1887 — 5 January 1983) was the first British Empire children's librarian. During her career, Smith set up library spaces for children in Toronto schools. She also created a children's literature library classification that was used in Toronto libraries until the late 1970s. The Lillian H. Smith Toronto Public Library branch was posthumously named and opened after Smith in 1995.

Lillian H. Smith
Born
Lillian Helena Smith

(1887-03-17)March 17, 1887
London, Ontario
DiedJanuary 5, 1983(1983-01-05) (aged 95)
Toronto, Ontario
CitizenshipCanadian
OccupationLibrarian
EmployerToronto Public Library

Early life and education

On 17 March 1887, Smith was born in London, Ontario. She completed her post-secondary education at Victoria University and completed additional training at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.[1]

Career

After completing her training, Smith began her library career at the New York Public Library and Washington Heights Library in 1911.[1] The next year, Smith moved to the Toronto Public Library and was the first children's librarian in the British Empire.[2]

At the beginning of her forty-year career as a librarian, Smith created guidelines on the inclusion of children's literature in Toronto libraries.[3] In 1931, Smith established a library classification system for children's books. Her library system remained in Toronto libraries until the end of the 1970s.[4] Alternatively, Smith focused on the creation of programs and libraries for children. At the end of her career in 1952, Smith had opened up numerous children's spaces in Toronto libraries and schools and one at The Hospital for Sick Children.[1] Apart from her librarian career, Smith was a teacher and an author.[3]

Death
Toronto Public Library's Lillian H. Smith Branch

On 5 January 1983, Smith died in Toronto, Ontario.[5]

Awards and honors

In 1995, the Lilian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library was opened and posthumously named after Smith.[6]

References
  1. Fasick, Adele M. (2003). "Smith, Lillian H. (1887-1983)". In Miller, Marilyn Lea (ed.). Pioneers and Leaders in Library Services to Youth: A Biographical Dictionary. Libraries Unlimited. p. 226. ISBN 1591580285.
  2. Waxman, Sydell (2002). Believing in Books: The Story of Lillian Smith. Napoleon Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 0929141776.
  3. O'Reilly, Gillian (Winter 2012). "Lillian H. Smith: libraries and the joy of stories". Canadian Children's Book News. Vol. 35 no. 1. p. 16.
  4. Heras, Theo (1 September 1999). "Lillian's Legacy". Horn Book Magazine. pp. 630–31.
  5. Fasick, Adele M.; Johnston, Margaret Elaine; Osler, Ruth, eds. (1990). Lands of Pleasure: Essays on Lillian H. Smith and the Development of Children's Libraries. Scarecrow Press. p. 11. ISBN 9780810822665. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  6. Tobias, Conan (22 February 2017). "Spaces: From its castle-like exterior to its puppet theatre, Toronto's Lillian H. Smith library is built for kids". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
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