Mackenzie Heritage Printery: a printing museum

Museums, in their broadest sense, are institutions which hold their possessions in trust for human kind and for the future welfare of the human race. They are a valuable asset to society in that they render the emotional and intellectual life of people. In simpler terms, it is an institution devoted to the procurement, care, and display of objects of lasting interest and value. This thesis project answers the major questions of what role does the Mackenzie Heritage Printery Museum in Queenston, Ontario Canada fit into the scheme of scholarly pursuits and the awareness of raising people\u27s consciousness with regard to the institution, establishment, and process of hot metal type setting in North America, especially Canada. Also the following information is presented: What are museums i.e. purpose, function and value to society Printing Museums of North America: A History Founding of the Mackenzie Heritage Printery Museum William Mackenzie: who was he, what did he do, and what is his significance with regard to impacting the printing industry in Canada (North America) Why the Mackenzie Museum was established By whom When and Where What are the institution\u27s plans for the future What is the Mackenzie Museum representing in 1999 In addition, this thesis project discusses the printing industry from a historical perspective. Another issue presented that relates to the Mackenzie Heritage Printery Museum is how it can play a role in the lives of students who are in the process of identifying a career; and young adults doing the same. It is pointed out that the printing industry needs to support the printing museums as a source of history, knowledge, and inspiration that could have a direct affect on the going process of maintaining and developing a workforce that is educated from a competency based methodology and will maintain the high quality of the print ing industry products produced in the area of global competition. This work also presents the organizational structure of the Mackenzie Heritage Printery Museum, the leadership, and managements efforts presently underway, program offerings since 1990 and the efforts underway to provide quality based programs that meet the needs of persons interested in the printing industry. The efforts of all involved in this worthy endeavor support the facts against those people who have prophesied the demise of printing and its replacement by video, computer software, or other types of electronic media