Digital Museums Canada (DMC; , ''MNC'') is a

funding Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

program in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

"dedicated to online projects by the museum and heritage community," helping organizations to build digital capacity. Administered by the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History () is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of Canada, as well as support related res ...

(CMH) with the financial support of the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

, DMC provides investments of CA$15,000 to $250,000 for audience-engaging online projects by Canadian museums and heritage organizations.

History

The Digital Museum of Canada was preceded by the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC), which existed from 2001 to 2021. The VMC was launched by the

Canadian Heritage Information Network The Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN; , RCIP) is a special operating agency within the federal Department of Canadian Heritage that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage institutions. It is based in Gatineau, Quebec, an ...

(CHIN) of the

Department of Canadian Heritage The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity and values, cultural develo ...

as a major collaborative online initiative to allow Canadian museums and heritage organizations to connect with online visitors. In February 2014, the

announced its intention to transfer the VMC and the Online Works of Reference to the

(CMH). Bill C-31, an ''Act to implement certain provisions of the budget and other measures'', soon after received

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

confirming that the CMH would assume responsibility for these two programs. The VMC grew to include virtual exhibits, educational resources for teachers (in both

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and English), and over 900,000

images An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...

. Additionally, the VMC Investment Program was created to invest in Canadian museums to create online exhibitions. The Virtual Exhibits Investment Program was geared to medium- to large-sized institutions. The other offerings were the Community Memories Program, an investment program designed for smaller Canadian community museums, to allow them to create online exhibits about their history. In 2020, the Digital Museum of Canada was created as a successor to the VMC with a focus on investing in online projects by Canadian museums and heritage organizations rather than offering a public facing online portal like the VMC. Following this new mandate, in 2021, with a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC website was scheduled to discontinue hosting exhibits on 30 June 2021.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Virtual museums Museums established in 2001 2001 establishments in Canada Canadian Museum of History Corporation Grants (money) Museum organizations Funding bodies of Canada