Virtual Museum of Canada

Virtual Museum of Canada

Logo of the Virtual Museum of Canada, a Canadian Heritage initiative.
Established	2001
Type	Virtual Museum
Website	www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca

The Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.

The VMC includes virtual exhibits, educational resources for teachers, and over 900,000 images. The resources are bilingual; available in both French and English. The content on the VMC is created by Canadian museums, and is administered by the Canadian Museum of History

In February 2014 the Federal Government announced its intention to transfer the Virtual Museum of Canada and the Online Works of Reference to the Canadian Museum of History. Bill C-31, an Act to implement certain provisions of the budget and other measures, has received Royal Assent confirming that the Canadian Museum of History will assume responsibility for these two programs.

The Virtual Museum of Canada provides an online environment for Canadian communities to tell their stories and preserve their history. One way that this is achieved is through the VMC Investment Programs, which invests in Canadian museums to create online exhibitions. The Virtual Exhibits Investment Program is geared to medium- to large-sized institutions. The other offering is the Community Memories Program, which is an investment program designed for smaller Canadian community museums, to allow them to create online exhibits about their history.