NDSU’s library is revisiting a rocky historical period with its new

The North Dakota State Library is taking us back in history to a time of fear, crisis and a desperate need for civil defense. After six months of planning by Susanne Caro, Jeremy Kopp, John Hallberg and Lindsay Condry, the “Duck and Cover” exhibit is up and ready for students to come and take a closer look at the procedures and artifacts from the Cold War. 

From archives to artifacts, the “Duck and Cover” exhibit features carefully researched pieces of history from right here in North Dakota. With the video game series “Fallout” by Bethesda coming out with another post-apocalyptic game, Susanne Caro, the government information librarian, hopes that that will encourage students to delve into the Cold War.

Caro said the most interesting component of this exhibit to her is the psychological component. “There was such a large effort to survive,” Caro said. “They had children hiding under desks, and really what was that going to do? Even in a time that seemed like we were doomed, there was so much positivity. The government was assuring that even if something happened we would all be okay.”

Caro said she believes it is important for students to care about history, especially when it is pretty recent. “It is helpful to come see what has happened in the past,” she said. “We still have many concerns today with North Korea and nuclear threat. Many seem to have forgotten.”

After students come to see this exhibit Caro said she hopes they take away how to be prepared in case of emergency. “There might not be a large concern of being bombed, but other disasters are important to prepare for with having enough food and water.”

As Caro said, there is a benefit to looking into our history. She said history majors, political science majors and architecture majors would especially benefit from seeing this exhibit. With the importance of building the structures to keep people safe, looking into government planning and understanding the overall picture, these majors could really benefit from taking a look into the exhibit and discovering more about the past that shapes their future.

Caro also added that because this is recent history you can still stumble across information and artifacts from it. She said she is still researching more information due to her interest in the topic. Caro even recently discovered that St. Luke’s hospital here in North Dakota won an award for their fallout shelter.

Are you prepared? Do you want to learn more about the Cold War, including its impact in North Dakota? Head over to the NDSU Library and take a look.