The VMC Editorial Board has approved twelve recent proposals to the VMC Investment Program! The board considered sixty proposals for the producuction of online content, such as virtual exhibits, interactive games and educational resources. A total of twelve proposals covering a wide range of disciplines and interests were approved. Congratulations to the following member institutions:

Association canadienne d'histoire ferroviaire

Sandford Fleming, chevalier du temps

BC Museum of Mining

Beauty in the Beast: The Britannia Mines Concentrator

Davenport Centre - Heritage Hall

Land of the Spirits

Galerie de l'UQAM

La science dans l'art

Maritime Museum of British Columbia

Are We There Yet? Voyages of Discovery Along the Northwest Edge of the New World

Mary's Point Shorebird Reserve of the N.B. Federation of Naturalists

Flora of the Grand Lake Meadows

Pointe-à-Callière, musée d'archéologie

Bâtir Montréal (Titre provisoire)

Société d'histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean

La maison, un patrimoine évolutif à mettre en valeur

The Basilica Cathedral Museum

Creating a Cathedral - Buiding of the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the

Baptist, St. John's Newfoundland

UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research

John Davidson - The Legacy of a Canadian Botanist

Urban Shaman Gallery

Storm Spirits: Aboriginal Media and New Media Arts

Workers Arts and Heritage Centre

“….and still I rise”:   A History of African Canadian Workers in Ontario, 1900 – Present

Canadian World Summit Awards

You can nominate your new media project to represent Canada at the World Summit Awards (WSA), a global contest seeking the best in e-content and multimedia applications in the categories of e-learning, e-government, e-health, e-inclusion, e-entertainment and e-science. The deadline for Canadian entries is July 15, 2005. Selected projects will become finalists in the global competition to be held in Tunisia in November. For details, visit the Canadian World Summit Awards Web site.

Discussion Guide: Towards a New Museum Policy

The Department of Canadian Heritage is developing a new museum policy in order to assist museums in positioning themselves to meet the challenges they face and to mobilize the support they need from all stakeholders. A discussion guide is being made available to stimulate dialogue about the key issues that could be addressed in such a policy. Comments from interested parties are welcome by August 31, 2005. Your ideas and comments will be taken into consideration throughout the new museum policy development process. The Discussion Guide: Towards A New Museum Policy is available on the Department of Canadian Heritage Web site, www.canadianheritage.gc.ca, under What's New.

The Design Exchange, a public cultural attraction located in Toronto, applied and received funding for two Young Canada Works (YCW) national internships through CHIN. YCW offers students and young graduates the chance to put their skills to the test and start on the right career path with unique opportunities to learn and work in a museum, in one of Canada's National Parks, or even an internship in Canada or abroad.

The two interns worked with Design Exchange to assist in the coordination and launch of Digifest 2005 and worked on the coordination, production and launch of the digifest goes wild Web site and related programs.

Planning to go live or developing a virtual exhibit?

Best Practices in Museum Web Site Design is a bilingual Web site that explores the concept, design, and development of good educational Web sites from the perspective of the Canadian museum community. The site serves as a helpful guide for Web site conceptualization and planning, visual design, navigation, technology and resources to host, maintain, and promote your site.