Halton Region Museum "gets digital" with Artefacts Canada initiative

What do a land grant from Burlington, a phonograph from Halton Hills, a dental drill from Milton and a vase from Oakville crafted in World War I have in common? These Halton Region Museum artefacts have joined thousands of artefacts, photos, paintings and objects from Canadian museums, including the works of the Group of Seven, as part of an Artefacts Canada initiative.

Earlier this year, Halton Region Museum was invited to participate in “Let’s Get Digital: A Collections Management Project with Artefacts Canada.” This innovative Ontario Museum Association project allows Canadian museums to highlight their collections and make artefact information and digital images accessible online to a wider audience. Selected records with images are posted on the Canadian Heritage Information Network’s Artefacts Canada site, www.pro.rcip-chin.gc.ca. The site offers nearly 4 million object records.

“Halton Region Museum’s participation in the Artefacts Canada project demonstrates both heritage leadership and a fresh approach to engaging audiences,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “These online artefacts help create an important collective resource that may be explored both by the public and heritage professionals and researchers from around the world, who will now be able to include Halton Region Museum collection data in their research.”

Over the past few months, Halton Region Museum staff members have been trained in special techniques and equipment needed to photograph artefacts and archival material. Using PastPerfect, a collections management program, the Museum contributed a total of 27 artefacts, significant to the history of Halton.

“A partnership between Canada’s Museum Community and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Artefacts Canada is a unique portal that both educates and inspires,” said Nancy Field, Manager, Heritage Services. “We are very excited to be able to participate in this heritage database. Thanks to this initiative, greatly assisted by the help of our Museum collections volunteers, we are able to connect with Canadians and the international community in a whole new way.”

If you would like to learn more about the project or volunteer, contact the Museum by dialing 311 or 905-875-2200, ext. 25, toll free 1-866-442-5866, TTY 905-825-9833 or visit www.halton.ca/museum.

Support Our Sponsors