On June 10, 11 students from across the United States visited LSU Libraries as part of LSU’s Pre-Doctoral Scholars Institute (PDSI) being held during the month of June and coordinated by Ms. Clovier Torry, Director of Graduate Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity. The students, most of whom major in the humanities and social sciences, participate in a month-long program of educational, cultural, and research exercises designed to encourage members of underrepresented groups to pursue a graduate degree at LSU.

Students participating in the visit came from such universities as Spelman College, Howard University, Hunter College, Southern Oregon University, University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, Xavier University, and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and are working on degrees in African American studies, English, history, psychology, political science, and communication studies. They were given a tour of Middleton Library and had the opportunity to meet with the librarians who specialize in their subject areas. Librarians Linda Smith Griffin, Stephanie Braunstein, Alice Daugherty, and Mitch Fontenot were on hand to speak to the students about the importance of good research skills and getting to know their subject librarian.