#SubjectLibrarianSaturday is a social media and blog series highlighting LSU Libraries’ subject librarians, whose job is to help students and faculty with their research at any stage.

Mitch Fontenot is LSU Libraries’ Humanities and Social Sciences/Outreach Librarian. The responses below have been edited for length and clarity.

What do you enjoy most about helping patrons? 

I enjoy interacting with the students and faculty the most. I miss working at the information (formerly “reference”) desk, but I love instructing in classes and one-on-one research consultations with students and faculty! 

What’s the most important thing that you want students to know about LSU Libraries?   

You've got a subject librarian who is there no matter what you're majoring in, or even if you don't have a major just yet, you have a live human being who can sit down with you one-on-one and help you out with your research and make it not so scary—if you will.   

What is a research consultation like? 

What I do is—when they send me a request online email, phone call, or even the old-fashioned way—I chat with them for a little bit, either in person or virtually. I ask, “Tell me about your request, what class you're in, and what you're looking for.” I engage them in what used to be called a “reference interview.” I want them to tell me what they're really looking for as opposed to what they're asking for. Because I find that with a patron, a student, or a faculty member, they're asking one thing, but perhaps they're really looking for something else.

What research areas do you cover? 

My departments are Psychology, Sociology, Communication Studies, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the School of Leadership in Human Resource Development. If you happen to be in any of those classes, if that happens to be your major, or if you need research help with any of those five departments, please contact me. I’m more than happy to help—even if you just need good, old-fashioned general research help. 

What are some of your hobbies? 

I’m crazy about the movies and I sometimes work as an extra. I enjoy reading, and I have been an avid jogger, hiker, long-distance runner, and now power walker. I walk to and from work about a mile every day! 

Contact a subject librarian to book a research consultation and become familiar with the most frequently used library databases and information sources in your specific area of study.