An herbarium is a collection of preserved plants used for research. The job of a curator of an herbarium is to coordinate the growth of the herbarium while preserving the past collections. Depending on the size of a facility the curator may supervise a small or large staff, thus the salary range is great: approximately $25,000 to $80,000 or more per year. A curator also assists herbarium users and researchers and conducts her/his own research. Most curators of large herbaria have doctorate degrees, but in smaller herbaria the position may require only a master's degree. Degrees required are related to some branch of botany, most commonly plant systematics.

The curator oversees the selection of specimens to be placed in the collection. Specimens are selected for their quality and completeness. The curator knows the contents of the general collection in the herbarium, and selects...