As we walked into the museum, I turned to my friends, Anna and Bryce, and said, “It’s such a small museum. This tour can’t possibly take two hours.” It did. The Crandall Printing Museum is a small museum that was just started a few years ago here in Provo, Utah and this museum’s tour was required for my American Government and Society class. While I did not enjoy the museum as much as my friends did, I came to see it as a highly educational and engaging opportunity.
We walked into the lobby and a small man behind the desk greeted us enthusiastically and showed us where to sign in for the tour. The first room we entered was set up to look like an old printing shop, with a large wooden printing press and several display cases. There were lots of chairs set up and we sat down and listened to a presentation for about an hour. In this room we learned about Johannes Gutenberg, the man who invented the printing press. The presenter had formerly worked in the printing business and was very knowledgeable. He even had us come up and watch as he demonstrated how the Gutenberg press printed the very first printed book – a “Gutenberg” Bible. However, I gave a presentation on the history of books a few years ago, and I went to a museum with a printing press last summer, so the presentation was slightly boring to me. Also, the air in the room was rather warm and I had stayed up late doing homework the night before, so I think I dozed off a couple times. Ok, actually, I know I dozed off a couple times.
The tour was then interrupted by “Benjamin Franklin” who invited us to come see his printing press. We moved into another room where he showed us a replica of Franklin’s press and spoke to us about Benjamin Franklin’s life and the role of the printed word in early American history. Usually, I would find this sort of thing intriguing. However, being a formerly homeschooled student, I have been able to tailor much of my education to my interests, which just happen to include early American history. As a result, I have read Franklin’s “Autobiography” and know well the subject being discussed in the presentation and was, again, rather bored. I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all or a brat, I’m just trying to tell the story as honestly as possible. Which, I suppose, means that if I do sound like a know-it-all or a brat, than I really am.
We moved on to the last room of the tour, which was meant to be a replica of the printing shop the Book of Mormon was first printed in. This presentation was slightly more engaging and we saw the press the Book of Mormon was first printed on, learned about how the book was printed, and some of the miracles that happened along the process. This was the warmest room of all and while I felt incredibly drowsy and anxious to get out, I managed to pay attention and learned several interesting facts.
When they announced our tour complete, we quickly moved toward the exit, though we were stopped along the way by a museum guide who wanted to show us a press that the Deseret News, a prominent newspaper in Utah, had been printed on. As we walked outside I was completely unprepared for Anna’s reaction: “That was SO COOL! I’m so taking my family back here some time. Wasn’t that just awesome?!?” She squealed while practically skipping to the car. I looked at her, utterly bewildered, and finally told her I was very glad she enjoyed herself.
On the way home, I tried to decide why I hadn’t enjoyed it. It was very true that that sort of thing is usually right up my alley. I could blame it on the hot temperature, or the less-than-intriguing material, but I think the blame really lies with my own lack of preparation. I was extremely tired, slightly crabby, and looked at the tour as something to get over with rather than a learning opportunity.
Honestly, the Crandall Museum can be a very interesting educational presentation. It is a comprehensive and engaging history of the creation and influence of books, and, specifically, the scriptures. If you go with the right attitude and a desire to learn (and plenty of rest) it will be an experience that you can leave jumping up and down and exclaiming that next time you’re taking your family. Just ask Anna.
