OSU Herbarium Launches Seed Collection Fundraiser
The Corvallis university is seeking to catalog its collection of 20,000 species for public access.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Botany
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The Emil Zivney Herbarium at Oregon State University has launched a campaign to raise $2,000 for its seed collection. The funds will help digitize and preserve over 20,000 plant species for public research.
Why it matters
Current endowment levels are insufficient to cover the maintenance and digital infrastructure required to share the vast collection. Expanding access will help transform the physical archives into a searchable online database for global study.
The herbarium currently holds more than 20,000 species and 4,000 seed pods. The project utilizes a Tagarno digital microscope to perform image-stacking and provide high-precision measurements of the samples.
The players
Emil Zivney
He was an agriculturalist who traveled 200,000 miles to amass a collection of over 20,000 seed species on his farm in Eastern Oregon.
Oregon State University
This public research university in Corvallis houses the Emil Zivney Herbarium and the seed laboratory where the collection is stored.
The details
The facility plans to purchase preservation materials like vials and UV protectors alongside software for high-resolution imaging. This initiative aims to provide a reliable record of seeds at their harvest date, supporting future DNA research and identification efforts.
Timeline
Emil Zivney graduated from the OSU College of Agriculture in 1936.
Emil Zivney donated his extensive seed collection to the university in 1992.
The fundraising campaign officially began on Oct. 1, 2026.
The effort is scheduled to conclude on Oct. 31, 2026.
The Big Picture
The current fundraising campaign extends the preservation capabilities of the Oregon State University Seed Lab to ensure long-term botanical data integrity. This move transitions a static, legacy collection into a modern, dynamic tool for contemporary genetic and agricultural research.
The creation of an online database will allow students and researchers worldwide to access seed identification data remotely. This digitization ensures that the collection remains a viable scientific resource rather than remaining limited to a small physical display.
The takeaway
Donations enable the digitization of historical collections that might otherwise remain inaccessible to the public. Readers can support this effort to preserve agricultural history and expand the utility of scientific archives.
Further reading
Learn more about local scientific preservation efforts by exploring Botany.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Barometer.
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Should universities prioritize fundraising to make their private research collections accessible to the public?
