Only approximately 2% of the very substantial holdings of the Canadi= an War Museum (which include 3500 original works of war art), are on displa= y at its 330 Sussex Drive location in Ottawa. The remainder, including a size= able collection of armoured fighting and other vehicles, artillery, texti= les, etc., etc.) are housed in our collections and research facility (Vimy Hous= e) on the other side of the downtown core. On our corporate open house days (in September) we have offered behi= nd the scenes tours at Vimy and they have been VERY well received - so much= so that, starting in May of this year, we will open tours of "The Hidden Trea= sures of the Canadian War Museum" every weekend. There are technical problems: 1. Do you let them in the war art vault? No; we don't have the space= . 2. Do you let them in the small arms vault? Not bloody likely! For b= oth war art and small arms, we will use artifacts in cases and deactivated weapo= ns they can handle. 3. Wot about signage? Vimy House is a former street car garage and i= t is NOT a sterile environment; as my living history collection manager says, "= Even when you store 'em inside, they're practically OUTside!" Given this probl= em, plus the fact that we frequently do outdoor exhibitions, we are designing= standard multi-purpose all-weather labels - and larger panels, describing thi= ngs such as the evolution of artillery, which can be used for a variety of purpo= ses, INCLUDING open house tours. 4. Prebook or meet them at the door? We will pre-book, to save on ex= pensive staff time. 5. Charge or free? We will charge - but we will probably offer packa= ge deals on visits to both CWM sites. 6. Use cases, etc.? We have to, given the nature of the artifacts an= d conditions in the garage area where we keep the large artifacts, to = supplement the appeal of the large artifacts. No, we have not yet designed a ca= se of our Centurian tank - 52 tons of steel and more steel! 7. what kind of guides? We will use our new CWM uniformed hosts to c= ontrol traffic and our volunteers to actually conduct the tours. 8. What about limited washroom facilities? Porta-potties behind hess= ian screens should provide a military environment while catering to the creature= comforts(sic). Come see us. Find out exactly WHY the Soviet army only recruited tan= k crews BELOW a certain minimum height! (Mind the rough welded edge of the a= utoloader mount on your way out.) Harry Needham Director, Programmes and Operations Canadian War Museum =