Albright Care Services (Slifer House Museum)

Slifer House is a unique home in central Pennsylvania that reflects nineteenth and twentieth century regional history and lifestyles. The museum provides educational services through exhibits, programming, and community events appropriate to the interpretation of Slifer House as a Victorian residence. The collection emphasis is on artifacts belonging to families that resided in the house, objects of local provenance or significance, and objects of the Victorian period. There are an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 objects in the museum, with an additional 20,000 to 30,000 items in its photograph and document collections. A complete collection catalog would provide intellectual control and allow the museum to maximize use of its collections in exhibitions and programming. A catalog is also essential to provide real and accurate data for insurance purposes, as items cannot be displayed or utilized until they are insured against loss or damage. This project will entail cataloging approximately 1,000 acquisitions obtained since 1998. The project will also involve digital photography of these acquisitions (a more efficient alternative to traditional photography) and an update of the museum’s catalog database and a hard copy of the information.