Smith, Jessie Carney 1930–

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Jessie Carney Smith 1930–

Librarian, author

Learned Importance of Values and Education

A product of the segregated South, Jessie Carney Smith learned to turn oppression into opportunity. As a student she obtained four degrees during a time when circumstances prohibited many women from acquiring even one degree. As a librarian she erased the image of a stern disciplinarian whose glasses cling to the tip of her nose; instead she presents herself as a powerful and innovative source who is eager to share her knowledge. As a writer she has breathed life into the stories of those whose efforts, courage, and triumphs might not otherwise be shared and explored the trials, struggles, and images of blacks in America. As a person she has followed the examples of her family and discovered the rewards of giving.

Born Jessie Carney on September 24, 1930, Smith grew up outside of Greensboro, North Carolina. She had two older siblings and a twin brother. Her parents, James and Versona (Bigelow) Carney, graduates of North Carolina A&T, ran James’s small business. The whole family would often help in the store. Smith’s maternal grandparents lived only yards from the Carney home.

Learned Importance of Values and Education

Smith has credited her family and its values with shaping her life. Her father’s work ethic influenced her own drive for accomplishment. “I think if I had not had such an addiction to work to study, I would not have achieved whatever I have achieved, and that is what it takes to go far,” she told Contemporary Black Biography (CBB). Smith learned the joy of giving from her mother and maternal grandparents. “Many people visited my grandparents on weekends and the tradition then was to give that visitor something special. My grandmother liked to do a lot of canning. So when people visited my grandmother, before they left, she would give them a jar of fruit or vegetables. Or when visitors would come, they would share a desert or some fruit and they did it freely,” Smith told CBB. “I think that persuaded me to think of giving as something very special.”

Smith attended grammar school in a four-room school-house in Mt. Zion, North Carolina where she received an education that she and her siblings did not appreciate until later. When she went to high school, Jim Crow laws dictated that Smith and her siblings were bused to Greensboro. At James B. Dudley High School, they realized that their rural education, which they thought inferior, actually had its benefits. “When we went there, we found out that our grammar was so much better than that of the kids who were from the city. We found out that we knew so many things that they didn’t know,” she told CBB.

When Smith and her siblings were not at school or attending cultural events like concerts or art exhibits with their parents, they could often be found reading. They even enjoyed reading their father’s college textbooks. Knowledge was something that Smith sought from the beginning, but becoming a librarian was the farthest thing from her mind. “I wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to attend Pratt, that a black fashion

At a Glance…

Born Jessie Carney on September 24, 1930 in Greensboro, NC, married Frederick Douglas Smith, 1950 (divorced); children: Frederick Douglas Smith, Jr. Education: North Carolina A&T Univ., B.A., home economics, 1950; Cornell Univ., 1950; Michigan State Univ., M.A., child development, 1956; George Peabody College, Vanderbilt Univ., M.A., library science, 1957; Univ. of Illinois, Ph.D., library science, 1964.

Career: Nashville City Schools teacher, 1957; Tennessee State Univ., head cataloger and instructor, 1957-60; Univ. of Illinois, teaching assistant, 1961-63; Tennessee State Univ., coordinator of library services, asst. professor, 1963-65; Fisk Univ., librarian, professor, 1965—, William and Camille Cosby distinguished chair, 1993—; Alabama A&M Univ., assoc. professor, 1971-73; Adult Education Program of Metropolitan Nashville Schools, teacher, 1987; guest lecturer at many universities.

Member: NAACP; Pi Gamma Mu; Beta Phi Mu, national president, 1976-77; Alpha Kappa Sorority; Links, Inc., Henderson Area Chapter president, 1983-87; National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Nashville Chapter.

Awards: Certificate of Achievement, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 1976; Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, Association of College and Research Library, 1985; Distinguished Alumni Award, Department of Library Science, Peabody College, Vanderbilt Univ., 1987; Distinguished Alumni Award, Univ. of Illinois, 1990; Candace Award for Education, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 1992; Key to the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1997; Living Legends Award, Pentecostal Tabernacle Church, 1998.

Address: Office —University Library, Fisk University, 17th Ave., North, Nashville, TN 37203.

designer would have had a difficult time becoming successful,” she told CBB.

After graduating from high school in 1947, Smith decided to follow in her parents’ footsteps by attending North Carolina A&T where she studied home economics. As Smith told CBB, “A matter of at least a college degree was just part of growing up; stopping short of a college degree was not an option.” She finished her Bachelor of Science degree in 1950, but at a time when home economic degrees led to teaching positions, Smith’s heart was not yet with the idea of being a teacher. She headed north to New York in search of a master’s degree. Smith attended Cornell, studying textiles and clothing. Her studies were interrupted when she married Frederick Douglas Smith and gave birth to her son, Frederick Douglas Smith, Jr. After a brief hiatus, Smith returned to her collegiate studies—this time at Michigan State University. In 1956 she received a Masters of Art degree in child development, but soon learned the job market for African-American females was bleak—even those who were armed with two degrees.

Smith and her new family settled in Nashville where she accepted a clerical position at Tennessee State University’s library. Soon her curiosity for the field of library science led her to George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, where she received a Masters of Arts in library science in 1957. By this time her marriage was dissolving, but she was determined to realize her dreams and set an example for her son.

Began Career at Fisk University

Smith moved on to Fisk University where she was secretary to head librarian and acclaimed author, Arna Bontemps. Under his mentorship, Smith gained valuable experiences that meant more than checking out books or cataloging. At Fisk, home to one of the country’s most distinctive collections of black literature, there were opportunities to learn, grow, and share a unique wealth of knowledge. “I think one who is surrounded by such an influence and fails to take advantage of it is really lacking tremendously in vision,” Smith told CBB.

In 1964 Smith became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in library science. The following year, she succeeded Bontemps as Fisk University’s head librarian. While being Fisk’s librarian was a full-time job, Smith lectured at numerous venues and became a visiting professor at universities including Alabama A&M, Cornell, and Vanderbilt. Smith became as much a part of Fisk University as the library itself, and used her experiences to mold its direction. Leading the university into a new library and pursuing grants to develop the collections, expand the archival program, and obtain a state-of-the art media program, Smith earned the title as the dean of black libraries. The library became a vital part of Smith’s life, but more than twenty years after beginning her career at Fisk, an editor’s suggestion, and her own experiences as a published author, prompted her to pursue another avenue. That avenue did not remove her from the library, but it did help her discover another passion—writing.

Subsequent to having an academic paper published, Smith explored professional writing. After she considered her experiences, writing about black culture seemed only natural. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The one—and only—good thing Smith has to say about segregation was that it fostered a school system in which black children were infused with black history and black heroes.” Smith began writing about black history and heroes and was soon preparing for a major project that, unbeknownst to her, had begun nearly two decades earlier.

For years, Smith had been collecting notes on black women whose contributions were worthy of mention. By the time she finished, Smith had collected notes on 1, 000 women. What made the selections unique was that the list included well-known women like Harriet Tubman, but also included lesser-known women like Millie Hale—a nurse who founded a hospital and training school for black nurses during the early 1900s. It was the lesser-known women who Smith found the most interesting to write about. “When I’m writing a biography, I would rather write about an obscure person than one who’s who’s well known because I like to provide new or little-known information to people,” she told CBB. After completing her collection, Smith found a publisher, narrowed her list to 500 names with the help of an advisory board, and selected writers to prepare the biographies.

Still maintaining normal working hours at Fisk’s library, Smith found a way to dedicate a considerable amount of time to completing the book. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, her weekdays were spent in the following way: “Most days began at 4 a.m., Smith’s usual time for rising. But instead of taking an hour-long walk and leisurely reading the paper, she’d sit down at the computer placed on her kitchen table and write for two hours or so. Then she would get in some quick exercise and head to work at her 8-to-5 job at Fisk. During lunch she’d try to wedge in a few paragraphs or make a few phone calls. After work, she’d stay at the library for a few hours of uninterrupted concentration. Then home, dinner, work and bed.”

Published First Book

Five years, 200 contributors, and many long days later, Smith’s baby, Notable Black American Women, was born. “They were determined in spite of the odds,” Smith was quoted as saying in the Nashville Banner of the women in her collection. “They were doing things when race relations were at their worst. They dared to speak out on sex and race discrimination,” she added. According to Fisk University Reports, American Libraries named Notable Black American Women “an outstanding reference source” in 1992. Four years later, Smith wrote a second volume of the book.

In addition to Notable Black American Women, Smith wrote numerous books including Black Firsts (1994) and Notable Black American Men (1999); both also received recognition for being outstanding reference books. In 1999 she collaborated with legendary poet and writer Nikki Giovanni on her work called Grand Fathers, which chronicled African-American grandfathers and the legacies they left. Grand Fathers featured John Harvey Bigelow, Smith’s maternal grandfather, who lived to be 101 years old.

During her exceptional career, Smith has held many positions, served on numerous committees, and received extensive honors. She has served on Fisk University’s Women’s Studies Committee and was a faculty representative to the Fisk Board of Trustees. Smith received distinguished alumni awards from both Pea-body College of Vanderbilt University (1987) and the University of Illinois (1990). In 1993 she was named Fisk University’s William and Camille Cosby Professor in the Humanities—a distinguished chair that only one person before her has held. In 1997 she received the key to the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A year later Smith was presented the Living Legends Award from Nashville’s Pentecostal Tabernacle Church. These are only a few of her accolades; still her personal reward does not come from the formal honors but the small affirmations. “It’s very rewarding to know that you have helped shape a life, career, or one’s direction,” she told CBB. Smith still attributed her success to the motivation of people like her 98-year-old mother. “If there’s such a thing as a living angel, I think she’s it. She’s been a real help through example,” she told CBB.

Smith has further plans for the library and her writing career. “I find this is a very exciting time to be in library and information sciences and to become involved in the constant changes that technology brings,” she told CBB. Given the low funding usually allocated to libraries, Smith admitted that she could have enjoyed her position much more if funds and been available to make Fisk’s library high-tech. Outside the library, Smith’s newest projects included a third volume of Notable Black American Women, set to be published in 2002.

While Smith paved her own way, she hoped that more young people take an interest in the fields from which she has learned so much. She told CBB, “I’d like to see young people develop into researchers and writers. They need to be serious about what they do and fully commit themselves to it. I think they will experience something that can be very rewarding for them.”