Curtis attended Wells College from 1891 to 1894, and in 1898 received a diploma from the New York State Library School.

[3] Upon returning to the United States Curtis took a position as director of the Drexel Institute Library School.

The school was founded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the purpose of providing African Americans with training in librarianship.

[4] During her directorship Curtis influenced over 150 students, and assisted in the regional accreditation of many schools for African Americans, particularly in the southern United States.

[1] Curtis served as director of Hampton Institute until 1939,[5] when it closed due to lack of funding.