Peter Homulos: founder of the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), 1972-1992

06/09/21 • 38 min

Peter Homulos recounts how he went from being a geology student to a director of the National Inventory Programme, the precursor of the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), all before he was 30 years old. The mandate of the Programme was to maintain the records of Canada’s cultural properties, but it evolved into creating a computerized inventory of collections to facilitate the sharing of information. It was also responsible for research and development on information management, collections documentation standards and collections management systems. From a modern perspective, it is difficult to convey how groundbreaking and even controversial this initiative was.

Previous Episode

Lyn Elliot Sherwood: Director, CHIN, 1993-2003

Our first guest from the Canadian Heritage Information Network, otherwise known as CHIN, is Lyn Elliott Sherwood. She was the Director General of CHIN from 1993 to 2003. She then went on to become the Executive Director of the Heritage Group at the Department of Canadian Heritage. During her time at CHIN, she was responsible for the creation of the organization’s most well-known program, the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC). The VMC is a collection of online exhibits contributed by Canadian museums and heritage institutions. The program is still ongoing but is now managed by the Canadian Museum of History. Lyn Elliott Sherwood spoke to hosts Nathalie Nadeau Mijal and Kelly Johnson about her favourite heart-stirring moments while working at CHIN.

Next Episode

Ela Keyserlingk: textile conservator

Ela Keyserlingk is a retired textile conservator who worked at CCI from 1976 to 1997. Originally from Germany, it was love that first brought Ela to Canada, but it was curiosity and determination that led her to an internship opportunity at CCI, which blossomed into an exciting career. In this episode, you will hear Ela tell us what it was like to work on some of Canada’s most important textile objects.