Lillian Helena Smith (17 March 1887 — 5 January 1983) was the first British Empire children's librarian.

[6] In the early days of her work, Smith expanded and refined the children's book collection at the Central Library.

She organized and supervised training and continued professional development for other children's librarians throughout the library system.

[10] By 1962, the house was “falling to pieces” and was considered unsafe for further use, so plans were made to replace the library building.

Because of the simplicity of this new system, the card catalogue for navigating the shelves was replaced with a simple shelf list.

[22] In 1953, she published The Unreluctant Years: A Critical Approach to Children's Literature, which was commissioned by the American Library Association.

[2] In 1995, Boys and Girls House moved to a new location at 239 College St. at Huron St., and was renamed the Lillian H. Smith branch in her honour.