Herbarium issues

[scott meissner]

Greetings,
   I am a new Prof at a small college.  
We have a small herbarium collection and 
I have been put in charge.  I have never
managed a herbarium before and am in need 
of advice.

 	*What insecticides/fungicides are
good for treating new specimens?  The 
cabinets are in a lecture room so I would
prefer to use items that are not extremely
toxic to humans.

	*I am slowly cataloging the collection.
When I have a list put together is there a way 
to let the rest of the world know what we have?
Is there an online list of herbaria?  Should I 
send the list to an organization, if so which
one?  I have not finished even a fourth of the
collection, but we have two with Asa Gray's name
on them and many specimens from the 1800's!

	*There are some specimens that are from 
locations I do not have keys for.  I am using 
Gray's manual of Botany for eastern plants, and 
I also have Gleason and Cronquist.  Could someone
recommend a good key for central and western flora
of the US?  

	*Some specimens are so old that I fear the
genus and species have been reorganized since their
first identification.  Also there are others that I
can not key out (I am in fact a dumb plant physiologist).
Are there places where specimens can be sent for a 
confirmation of their identification?

	Thank you for your help and patience.  

Scott T. Meissner
Division of Science and Mathematics
McKendree College
701 College Road
Lebanon,  IL  62254
	(618) 537-6934
	smeissne at a1.mckendree.edu
		or
	smeissne at prairienet.org