Helper at Heart
Albert L. Scott librarian Carol Smith has been making patrons smile since 2006.
By Carmen Brown
She made them smile, and that was all it took.
More than three decades ago, Carol Smith graduated from UAB with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She set her sights on becoming a counselor and was pursuing a graduate degree at the school when she took a test that made her rethink her career path
“It was one of those career aptitude tests that shows you what you would be good at,” Smith says. “It came back that I should either be a librarian or a dental hygienist. I had to laugh at the second one because my dad was a dentist, and I had worked with him for a summer.”
Smith says she never considered being a librarian when she was growing up, although she did enjoy visiting her school and church library. But what made her connect the dots was her job at Little Professor bookstore in Homewood. “I really loved making people smile when I found a book that they were looking for,” Smith says. “I know it sounds hokey, but it’s true. So I thought, I’m going to be a librarian.”
Smith left Little Professor in 1990 and began working on her Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from the University of Alabama. During this time, she got hands-on experience working at the Hoover Public Library. “My first job was to sit at a desk and handle phone renewals,” Smith says. “I had to manually key in each barcode. The computers weren’t as advanced as they are now, so it was a long, drawn-out process. I also had to cross-reference stories on index cards.”
However, Smith says she was never bored, and she continued to work her way up at the Hoover Library while finishing her master’s degree. She worked at the Hoover Library until 2006, when she decided she was ready for a change. “I wanted to be in a smaller library, where it was a little more personal,” Smith says. “So one day I just walked in to Albert L. Scott and asked about job openings.”
Smith says Nan Abbott, the former library director, called her not long afterward and said that a new position for a public services librarian had just come open. “It was a brand-new position, and I knew it was a good way to get my foot in the door,” Smith says.
Eighteen years later, Smith is still doing what she loves at the Albert L. Scott Library: making people smile. Describing herself as a “helper at heart,” she loves everything about her job, including ordering books and serving as a notary public. A favorite part of her job is the Books-by-Mail Program, where homebound people in the Alabaster area can have books sent to them. “They are so thankful, and I know I’m making a difference,” she says. “They call and thank me and tell me I’ve gone over and above.”
Smith looks forward to each day and the one-to-one attention she can give to patrons. “I’m a very empathetic person, so it leads to nice interactions,” Smith says.
Carol’s Fun Facts
Favorite Books: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury; The Flavia De Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley; and Buster Keaton’s autobiography, My Wonderful World of Slapstick. She’s also a fan of the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.
Favorite TV Show: Svengoolie or anything on MeTV
Favorite Food: Barbecue
You May Not Know: “Carol and I are both birders, so we chat a lot about what birds we saw today and which ones are visiting the library bird feeder. Carol is your go-to if you need bird identification guides!”
Candice Murdock, Reference Services Librarian