Ms. Sherwood referred to the Virtual Museum of Canada, for example. This is an agency that has helped fund very innovative museum Internet applications. So it is possible, it is widely used in school systems, and it is a very good step. Of course, museums already have their own websites and other virtual things. These are wonderful steps, but they're never going to replace the real thing—the visit to a museum and seeing and touching history or art—which is what we're really interested in. So those kinds of activities are happening.
I think it's also important to say that, frankly, museum people lie awake at night worrying about how their institution can be more relevant to society and communities. I truly mean that. Most of our conferences look at the question of how we build relevance. Today's museums really want to become different. They want to become community centres where people from different cultures can meet, share ideas, and work together.
In fact, we've said in our brief that in many ways we complement the health care and educational systems. We want to be community centres of learning and exchange. We want to see them as dynamic institutions--not dusty places where there are old things, but dynamic institutions addressing the needs of society today.
Many museums put on contemporary exhibitions that discuss contemporary issues. Shortly after 9/11, British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology opened a major exhibition about Islamic culture in Canada and the values that Muslims bring. These are important bridges to building understanding in our society.