Library Lions 2009

David Smith

David Smith, who worked as a reference librarian at The New York Public Library’s Stephen A Schwarzman Building for 31 years until his recent retirement, has been called “bookish” and “boyish,” “a sage of the stacks,” and “librarian to the stars.” A native New Yorker, Mr. Smith previously worked as a baker, a New York City cab driver, and a book clerk at the former Doubleday Bookshop on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street.

Mr. Smith started his NYPL career as a Library Clerk in the Periodicals Division and within three months was promoted to Library Technical Assistant in the General Research Division. Soon after, Mr. Smith obtained his MLS at Queens College, at which time he was promoted to Librarian and spent a long, satisfying career providing reference assistance to thousands of patrons at the Main Reference Desk in the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room. In 2001, Mr. Smith began offering enhanced reference services to professional writers, scholars, and PhD candidates in the Library’s Wertheim Study and Frederick Lewis Allen Room, helping patrons as varied as Tony Randall, Malcolm Gladwell, and David Nasaw, to name a few.

Mr. Smith is on the advisory board of The Accompanied Literary Society. Last year, he was awarded an honorary membership to PEN American Center in recognition of his distinguished service to the writing community. He is a literary advisor to “Books at the Bar,” a reading series of the American Bar Association of the City of New York. He is also on the board of the Hank Kaplan Boxing Archive, the largest archive of its kind. Mr. Smith will be profiled in Marilyn Johnson’s forthcoming This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, to be published in February 2010. He lives on Long Island with his wife, Debbi.

“I've enjoyed using public libraries my entire lifetime. Still do. They are an essential resource for learning and enjoyment. I am proud to have been a public service reference librarian at NYPL for 31 years, and proud also of the colleagues who worked with me during my career here. Long Live Libraries and Librarians!”