Believing in Books: The Story of Lillian Smith

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

In 1912, Lillian Smith became the first children’s librarian in the
British Empire. Smith’s own “empire,” however, was rather
depressing. The children’s wing in the Toronto Reference Library was
merely a dark, neglected alcove where most of the books were so old and
battered that no one, especially children, wanted to read them.
Fortunately, “Admit no discouragement” was one of Smith’s favorite
sayings, and one of her rules was that books had to be fun as well as
educational. Soon strange new titles like Gulliver’s Travels, Tom
Sawyer, and Pinocchio were appearing on the shelves and within weeks,
children began flocking to the library. And, along with the new books,
she introduced live book readings, plays, and her own coding system that
helped youngsters find exactly the kinds of books they liked. By 1922,
Smith’s programs were so popular that the Toronto library system
opened Boys and Girls’ House, a separate library branch just for
children. For the next four decades, she would leave her indelible stamp
on library systems across Canada and around the world.

Sydell Waxman has done an outstanding job of chronicling the life and
times of one of the world’s most special librarians. Dozens of period
photos, original drawings. and sidebars help explain how Smith led the
way in transforming public libraries from cold, child-unfriendly
institutions to the family-oriented centres we know today. Highly
recommended.