LSU Libraries Special Collections Hosts 2025 Audubon Day
For its annual Audubon Day, LSU Libraries will host a viewing of the famed double elephant folio edition of John James Audubon’s Birds of America (London, 1827-1838) on Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Hill Memorial Library on LSU’s main campus. Audubon was an artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His illustrated compendium of the birds in the United States, Birds of America, is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed.
In addition to the viewing, there will be an exhibition of related materials from the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection. Representatives from the LSU Museum of Natural Science will be available to answer ornithological questions, and museum curators will offer special tours of the museum and its world-class specimen collections.
New this year, the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History will be facilitating participation in "LSU Listens," inviting visitors to share brief stories about their experiences with Birds of America, art, ornithology, natural science, LSU Vet Med’s resident raptors, and Special Collections. Participants will receive copies of their interviews.
LSU printmaking students will also have a station where they will demonstrate the printmaking process from start to finish, featuring examples from the LSU print archive. Additionally, members of LSU Vet Med’s Raptor Rehab program will return with rescued raptors, accompanied by informational tables from local nature organizations. A coloring station will be available for younger visitors to enjoy.
Audubon Day offers a unique opportunity to engage with LSU’s rich natural history collections and learn from experts across multiple disciplines. We look forward to seeing you there!
The event is free, but a timed reservation is required to view the folios. For more information and to register, visit lib.lsu.edu/special/audubon.
Audubon Day 2025
- Saturday, May 3, 2025, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Hill Memorial Library, 95 Field House Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70803
- RSVP: lib.lsu.edu/special/audubon*
*Members of the media should contact Christine Wendling, christinew@lsu.edu, to reserve a slot for this event.
