History, eh: The Virtual Museum of Canada

Canada is a huge country - the second largest in the world - and many parts of it are sparsely inhabited.  How did museums in some of these far-flung regions manage to reach millions of visitors and share their resources around the world?  By setting up a virtual museum.

The Virtual Museum of Canada was created by the Canadian Heritage Information Network as a way to bring together more than 3,000 museums and historic sites across the country.  It currently hosts 790 virtual exhibits, comprising nearly a million images.  Many of these exhibits, like Prince Edward Island - Memories of WWII, relate to Canadian history and culture.  These exhibits tend to be a little dry, since they are presented as a series of photos and maps with catalog descriptions and minimal interpretation.

But don't be turned off by these history slide shows, because if you look hard there's more exciting exhibits to be seen.  The exhibits aren't Canada-specific - such as Anno Domini:  Jesus Through the Centuries - are much more interactive and engaging.  And if you visit the VMC Lab, you'll get to experience the latest virtual museum technology.  The Lab is a space to view some of the more digitally advanced exhibits that Canadian museums have put out.  At the Thule Whalebone House exhibit, for example, you can see a 3D rendering of the kind of house that First Nations people once lived in.

The Virtual Museum of Canada offers some other cool resources, like a podcast series on unusual topics in Canadian history and section called My VMC, where you can assemble your own personal exhibit space.  There's also Teachers' Centre (aww, Canadian spelling) that not only provides classroom resources, but also allows teachers to upload and share their lesson plans and projects.

So, if you're curious about Canada's history but don't want to spend the time and money traveling all over the Great Frozen North, check out the Virtual Museum of Canada.  You can see plenty historical photos and objects, and you can also use emerging technologies to explore places you might otherwise never visit.

The Virtual Museum of Canada
Mission:  As an endless source of discoveries, virtualmuseum.ca is a unique interactive space that brings together Canadian museum collections and riches in a variety of thought-provoking and instructive contents.  It's the window on current museum news and the reference guide to planning an outing.
Website:  www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp