This fall, students will return to LSU to find new study spaces and furniture on the first floor of Middleton Library.  The new furniture includes private desks, couches, booths, tables, seating, and dry erase boards. Power outlets and bag hooks can also be found throughout the furniture.

"It's bright, and it really brings flavor to the lobby," said Royal Dixon, a geography major. Horticulture major, Elaine Monti, said she was pleasantly surprised at how colorful and new the furniture is when she first noticed it.

Frost Barber’s CEO, Doug Jehle, a new member of the Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council, helped the Libraries secure an in-kind furniture grant through Steelcase Furniture Company, substantially reducing the cost of the furniture upgrades in Middleton Library.

"Our partnership with Doug Jehle and the whole Frost-Barber team has been very exciting for LSU Libraries’ development program," said Virginia Archer, Director of Development. "In-kind gifts like this one support the Libraries in an immediate and tangible way. We know the students will feel the positive impact of Frost-Barber’s philanthropy when they return in the fall, and for that we could not be more grateful."

Students, faculty, and visitors are free to use the new furniture now, however an official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held once the Fall 2019 semester begins.