Lucy Allen Smart (née Lucy Allen, 1877–1960) was an American

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...

and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

Work at Ohio State

Allen began her studies to become a librarian at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in 1894. While there she assisted

Warren K. Moorehead Warren King Moorehead was known in his time as the 'Dean of American archaeology'; born in Siena, Italy to missionary parents on March 10, 1866, he died on January 5, 1939 at the age of 72, and is buried in his hometown of Xenia, Ohio. Moorehead ...

, professor of archaeology at Ohio State and the curator of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Conne ...

's museum, in compiling a catalogue and map of archaeological sites in the state. Moorehead was forced to resign his post in 1897 when he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. He recommended that Allen finish the catalogue, saying that she knew the material "better than any other person – next to myself". She also took over his role as curator for a five-month period in 1898. Her successor, William Corless Mills, revised and expanded Moorehead and Allen's map and published it as the landmark ''Archaeological Atlas of Ohio'', the first comprehensive state archaeological survey produced in the United States. Despite her contribution, Allen was not credited in the final publication. Allen was then hired as an Assistant Librarian at Ohio State, a post she held until 1901. During this time she earned a master's degree in

library science Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, an ...

Later career

In 1901, Allen left Ohio State to study under historian Albert Bushnell Hart of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, but she did not complete her PhD. In the same year she married George Smart, the co-founder and editor of the ''Columbus Citizen''. Whilst married she wrote the ''History of Forest Hills from the Days of Indians'', which was published in 1924. After her husband's death in 1925, Allen became the assistant to the headmaster and librarian at Kew-Forest School in

Forest Hills, New York Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeas ...

, and was appointed the Dean of Girls in 1947. In 1937, she was appointed to the board of trustees of the Queensborough Public Library, becoming the first female on a citywide library board. She also served as the editor of ''The Forest Hills Gardens Bulletin,'' and was known for her

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

performances, portraying American women such as

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of bo ...

and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Lucy Allen 1877 births 1960 deaths American archaeologists American women archaeologists American librarians American curators American women curators Ohio State University alumni 19th-century archaeologists People from Steubenville, Ohio People from Forest Hills, Queens American women librarians 19th-century women writers