Friends of the Freeman Herbarium
We are currently organizing The Friends of the Freeman Herbarium (AUA) to increase the awareness of our herbarium and its resources. Since we are open 5 days a week, we need to get the word out that AUA has one of the best representative collections of Eastern Alabama vascular flora in the area. One way we are increasing our role in this process is by guest speaking to others interested in knowing more about what we do. If you are interested in a tour or lecture for a group then please contact us.

The Friends is a way in which we can also generate interest for a volunteer program and for raising funds to help manage and improve the herbarium. Raising funds for the herbarium is difficult because frequently this resource is taken for granted. We are constantly trying to improve the herbarium to make it a better resource for us all. Numerous opportunities for improvement exist. However, to realize these improvements funds are needed.

Some examples of current and planned projects are:

1. Curation (Maintenance) of the collection which includes:
a) Sorting, labeling, mounting, accessioning, repairing and filing specimens into cabinets; labeling folders and cabinets, photographing special specimens, and developing a DNA repository for rare and endangered plants. Help is needed in looking over the special collections including algae, lichens, mosses, liverworts, fungi, and seeds as well as handling gifts, loans and exchanges.
b) Moving the collection to better facilities: new cabinets and compactors within a temperature controlled room.
2. Records. Creating and maintaining a database for herbarium records accessible and query able via the internet. This information allows patrons to search for habitat, range, ecology and other information on any of the genera and species in our collection.
3. Publicity. Maintaining the herbarium web page and news releases plus developing a brochure to highlight the importance of our collection.
4. Collecting specimens. Additional specimens need to be collected from unexplored or under collected areas of the state. Alabama is endowed with an abundance of species; it is in the top 5 states for the highest species diversity per unit area.  However, due to the low budget and minimal collecting, many of these species have not been documented or well studied.
We believe that these and other projects will help make the herbarium collection even more useful and convenient to researchers and patrons at the John D. Freeman Herbarium and around the world. By donating to Friends you will help us achieve these goals.

Currently we have volunteer opportunities available. Help is needed in mounting dried plant specimens, typing specimen labels, filing, entering information into our database system, and maintaining and creating material for our web page. Individuals with basic computer skills and/or an interest in botany would be most welcome. The experience gained would be helpful for careers in resource management, botany, conservation, museum science and natural history.

If you would like to know of other ways you could support the herbarium, or just want more information, feel free to contact us at the sources given below:

  • Director:

    • Leslie R. Goertzen (goertzen@auburn.edu)
    Phone: (334) 844-1637
    Fax: (334) 844-1645     Or
  • Curator of plants:

    • Curtis J. Hansen (herbari@auburn.edu )
    Phone: (334) 844-1630
    Fax: (334) 844-1645

    If you would like to donate to Friends of the Freeman Herbarium, please fill out and send in the form below to the Director at:

  • John D. Freeman Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, 101 Life Science Building, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
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    Yes, I would like to donate to the Friends of the Freeman Herbarium (AUA)!
    Enclosed please find my donation of:
    (Please make check to: John D. Freeman Herbarium)
    _____ $25/year Regular Donation
    _____ $40/year Family Donation
    Name: __________________________________________________
    Address: ________________________________________________  Phone:_______________________E-mail______________________
    ___ I would like to make an additional donation to the Freeman Herbarium in the amount of:__________________
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