pcsc-tools is a suite of tools used to test smart cards and PC/SC drivers. It provides utilities like pcsc_scan to monitor smart card readers and scriptor to send commands to smart cards, aiding in development and troubleshooting.
ScardFace is a python3k library for interfacing with smart cards, which supports Plug-and-Play readers inclusion and threading. It also offers classes for manipulating APDU cmds and resps, and use them in a transport-protocol-independent fashion.