News Release Archive
EDUCATION/CULTURE--MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED ----------------------------------------------------------------- Debra McNabb has been hired as the permanent director of the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry, in Stellarton. Ms. McNabb, acting director since June 1996, takes on the responsibility immediately. In announcing the appointment, Education and Culture Minister Robbie Harrison said Ms. McNabb was the unanimous choice of the selection committee. "Ms. McNabb's leadership will help make the museum a must-see attraction in Nova Scotia, bringing more people through its doors and to Pictou County," Mr. Harrison said. Ms. McNabb said her first priority is to increase the number of visitors to the Museum of Industry. "I look forward to working with the community to make the museum a tourism anchor for Pictou County. It is important for us to preserve and promote our industrial heritage because it tells many stories of how Nova Scotia was built." Ms. McNabb, a native of Glace Bay, has worked in various roles for the Museum of Industry since 1988. Serving as both the assistant director and acting director, her responsibilities have included managing collections and developing exhibits. Mr. Harrison said Ms. McNabb's appointment also paves the way to make the Museum of Industry another "jewel in the crown" of the Nova Scotia museum system. "Each of our 25 museum sites has something special to teach us about our history and ourselves," the minister said. "Ms. McNabb will now help bring Nova Scotia's industrial history alive in a way that not just tells us about the past, but helps us understand and appreciate our present and future." People from across the province will find their industrial history reflected in the museum collection and exhibits. Exhibits are highly interactive, enabling visitors of all ages to enjoy themselves as they learn about industrial processes. For example, visitors can learn more about factory work by working on an assembly line where teams compete, against each other or the clock, to put together a model car. "People who visit our museums learn a lot, but they also must be prepared to have fun," said Mr. Harrison. The Museum of Industry is one of 25 museum sites in the Nova Scotia museum system operated by the Department of Education and Culture. Located above the historic Foord Pit (Albion Mine), the first major coal mine in Nova Scotia, it is the largest museum in the province. -30- Contact: Doug Hadley 902-424-3999 trp Mar. 12, 1997 - 4:15 p.m.