Narrative History

National Inventory Programme

The 1972 National Museums Policy proposed the creation of an inventory of the cultural and scientific collections held by public institutions in Canada. CHIN was born as the National Inventory Programme (NIP).

The mandate of NIP was to create a computerized national inventory of Canadian cultural and scientific collections. The inventory would facilitate the sharing of the information found in collections. In addition, the NIP would conduct applied research and development on information management standards and technology. Furthermore, the NIP would advise museums and the heritage community in these areas. Later policies extended the mandate to include other online resources.

Three National Inventories

An important milestone in CHIN’s narrative history is the compilation of Canadian heritage information in three National Inventories. The establishment of the NIP resulted in databases on humanities and natural science collections, as well as on archaeological sites.

At first, museums sent their paper collection catalogues to CHIN for automation. But, as technology advanced, participating museums maintained the National Inventories through dial-up access to CHIN's mainframe computer, with support from CHIN.

The National Inventories became an important resource. They were used for research, comparative cataloguing and exhibition planning, but also as a tool for individual institutions to manage their collections. CHIN also provided museums with the ability to share information through electronic mail long before the Internet made this a common practice.

Documentation Standards

Our narrative history continues with CHIN’s work in the development of documentation standards. In support of the above activities, CHIN became active in the development and implementation of documentation standards, promoting the consistent documentation of museum information at the institutional and national levels, and contributing to the development of international standard initiatives.

More Resources

In 1987, CHIN added the Conservation Information Network (CIN) and a series of other reference databases to its list of resources. CHIN's resources were offered by dial-up access, free of charge to Canadian heritage institutions, and as a subscription service to others. Beginning in the late 1980s, CHIN began to work with the Canadian heritage community to assess emerging technologies for disseminating museum information. Several projects involving CD-ROM and CD-I productions were completed, providing valuable experience to all participants.

Major review

In 1995, CHIN launched a major review of its programs, in consultation with its client community. Desktop technology had improved and the Internet had arrived. With this in mind, CHIN and Canadian museums visualized an environment where museums would create rich public information resources available electronically.

As personal computers became more powerful and commercial collections management software became widely available, CHIN began assisting museums with the transition of their collections’ data from the CHIN mainframe to in-house collection management systems. This assistance included an assessment of a wide range of available software packages, conducted by CHIN and a team of museum professionals. The transition to in-house collections management software would be accomplished by spring of 1998.

A New Mission

In 1995, CHIN developed a new mission to:

“Broker effective access to Canadian and international heritage information for public education and enjoyment, and for the collective benefit of Canadian museums.”

CHIN's Web Debut

In October 1995, all of CHIN's products and services, previously available only by dial-up access to CHIN contributors and subscribers, were launched on the Web. CHIN, working with the Canadian heritage community, also developed new collaborative products.

CHIN's first virtual exhibit, Christmas Traditions in France and Canada, released in 1995, served to bring museum content to new audiences while providing visitors with an online experience.

Heritage Forum

In 1996, CHIN developed the Heritage Forum, a searchable online journal for heritage professionals with content contributed online by CHIN and users alike.

Artefacts Canada

The National Inventories were redesigned for the Web and renamed Artefacts Canada. Canadian museums continue to contribute data and images taken from their collections to Artefacts Canada over the Web, thus increasing its value as a professional resource. In 2004, the Archaeological Sites section of Artefacts Canada was removed following feedback from the Canadian heritage community.

The Guide to Canadian Museums and Galleries

Later in the decade, another new product that took advantage of the Internet to promote museums and reach new audiences was the Guide to Canadian Museums and Galleries. The Guide enabled museums to maintain their own institutional information in a searchable Internet directory. This was especially important for small museums that would not otherwise have had a presence on the Internet. CHIN also provided Internet accounts and training to museums. CHIN provided these as a means to participate in Internet initiatives and to take advantage of the growing pool of resources for museums on the Web.

Learning with Museums

Learning with Museums, launched in 2000, was developed by CHIN with the goal of enabling museums to promote their online educational materials to teachers and students.

Sharing Canadian Expertise with the World

CHIN continued its participation in the development, promotion and implementation of information standards, within the Canadian museums community and internationally. CHIN's participation in the Consortium for the Computer Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI) and the International Committee for Documentation (CIDOC) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) enabled the international community to benefit from the expertise of Canadian museums while yielding important results that could be applied to the interchange and management of museum information in Canada.

Addressing Copyright and the Internet

As museum information became more accessible on the Internet, CHIN began producing publications to address issues of copyright and protection of museum data and images on the Web. CHIN also began to provide information to museums on image digitization and collections management through a series of publications, online resources and workshops.

The Creation of the Virtual Museum of Canada

In 2001, CHIN launched the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC). CHIN works with the museum community in a collaborative effort to enable the creation, management and presentation of digital content. CHIN now maintains two Web properties: the CHIN website provides professional resources to the heritage community while the Virtual Museum of Canada showcases Canadian museums and their collections to a worldwide public audience.

Since the debut of the VMC in 2001, people from around the world have embraced this gateway to the exciting multimedia content created by Canadian museums. In its inaugural year, the VMC attracted almost three million visits from more than 140 countries. Visits increased year-over-year to reach a remarkable 12.5 million visits in 2008.

New Developments

CHIN also administers the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) Investments, which supports museums in the creation of digital content for the benefit of Canadian and international audiences.

The museum information from the Guide was repurposed in the Find a Museum and Calendar of Events sections of the VMC.

The rich resource that began as the National Inventories, which represents the results of 30 years of collaboration between CHIN and the museum community, was also incorporated into the VMC.

Learning with Museums was made part of the VMC Teachers' Centre.

Knowledge Exchange

In keeping with the CHIN website’s exclusive focus on the needs of professional audiences, the Knowledge Exchange was added to the CHIN website in 2006. Designed for museum professionals and volunteers, the Knowledge Exchange promotes community engagement through the use of relevant technologies.

In 2009, Knowledge Exchange became Professional Exchange. With its improved interactive functionalities, this site offers online access to Artefacts Canada, professional resources, publications, reference databases and courses.

Record-breaking Visits

By 2008, the Knowledge Exchange had more than doubled the number of visits it received. In the same year, the Virtual Museum of Canada also attracted 12.5 million visits, its highest annual record.

New and Improved Online Properties

In 2009, CHIN redesigned and relaunched its Web properties to provide a more interactive and enriching experience. These properties incorporate the latest standards and approaches (e.g. collaborative Web 2.0 technologies and faceted navigation).

CHIN now administers a corporate website, the Professional Exchange for heritage workers, and the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) portal for Canadian and international audiences.