Assistant Professor of Practice

ssmith40@utk.edu

Before he joined the faculty of the School of Information Sciences in January of 2024, Scot Smith worked for more than twenty-six years in public schools as a librarian. From 1993-1996, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine where he taught English at Yalta School #12. During his career, Smith has read for numerous book award committees and juries—Tennessee’s Volunteer State Book Award, ALA’s Schneider Family Book Award, YALSA’s Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and the Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table’s Best Graphic Novels for Children. At the School of Information Sciences, he advises students on the school library and youth services pathways and teaches courses in young adult literature, programming for children and teens, storytelling, and collection development and management. During his free time, Smith enjoys reading Comics, walking in the woods, and attending book and storytelling festivals. He lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with his wife (a school librarian) and daughter.