The Very Rev. Sir George Adam Smith, D.D., Chaplain to the Kings, was professor of Old Testament language, literature, and theology in the United Free Church College of Glasgow from 1892 to 1909. He then served as principal and vice chancellor of the University of Aberdeen until 1935. He frequently traveled and lectured in the United States.

Smith was knighted in 1916 and in 1933 was appointed Chaplain in Scotland to King George V and subsequently George VI. Smith is especially noted for his Historical Geography of the Holy Land.

The collection includes books, tracts, pamphlets, proofs and other writings authored by or written about Sir George Adam Smith. A complete list of the collection is available.

The Archives Storage Room on the Lower Level of the Library was made possible through the generosity of Patricia and Charles S. Drew, Jr. in memory of his grandfather, George Adam Smith. The room was dedicated by the Drew family on Oct. 4, 2004. Besides the George Adam Smith Collection, this area includes the Webster University Archives, part of the Henrietta Maizner Hochschild Collection, and other special collections.