The New Mexico State Library is now hosting the exhibit "Disasters, the Stories We Share," funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibit was designed to test whether libraries could customize displays with content relevant to their local communities. Disasters were chosen as a theme because they are events that affect people everywhere and can spark important conversations.
According to the New Mexico State Library, "How widely the news initially covers a disaster and how the story is repeated effects how the event is remembered. The story can change over time and be incorporated into various forms of media. Some stories fade while others continue to generate wide interest. These stories have power and can lead to positive change."
For its contribution, the New Mexico State Library selected "Downwinders and the Nuclear Age" as its focus within the larger exhibit. The library noted that while fires and floods are often seen as short-term disasters, events like the Trinity bomb test in 1945 and subsequent uranium mining also had long-lasting negative impacts on communities.
"There was no news coverage of Trinity test on July 16th, 1945, it wasn’t until after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August that the world learned what had been tested in the New Mexico desert. It would be even longer before the long-term negative effects of nuclear bomb testing and uranium mining were well known. Cases of cancer and other diseases emerged long after exposure. Many New Mexicans continue to fight for recognition and compensation of injuries through court cases, congressional testimony, advocacy, and changes to laws. The stories of those affected, although now better known, are important and should be heard," stated representatives from the library.
The new exhibit joins other circulating kits available for public libraries across New Mexico to borrow from the state library system. These include science kits, book sets, exhibits, among other resources.
The display features eight banners: three panels covering general themes about disasters—such as their impact on communities—and five additional panels contributed by libraries from different parts of the country. Topics include floods in Fargo (North Dakota), earthquakes in Utah’s Richmond and Logan areas, flooding in Missoula (Montana) along with heavy metal contamination issues there, incarceration at Rikers Island (New York), as well as New Mexico’s experience with nuclear testing.
The state library’s collections contain extensive materials documenting atomic energy development in New Mexico along with information about its lasting effects on residents’ health and environment. The facility welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm; further details about research guides related to Downwinders or about borrowing this exhibit can be found via their website or through archived project resources.
