Smith (born 1922), edited the Coretta Scott King Award Book: From Vision to Reality (Chicago: American Library Association, 1994) and The Coretta Scott King Award Book: 1970-1999 sponsored by the American Library Association.
In 2008, she was selected as the recipient of the Association for Library Service to Children's (ALSC) Distinguished Service Award, which honors an individual ALSC member who has made significant contributions to library service to children and ALSC.
She is also the recipient of the 2011 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Dr.
Smith was the first African-American professor at the University of South Florida, School of Information.