Consumer Reports’ Rich, 90-Year History Comes to Life at Duke University

Yonkers, NY – “Test, Inform and Protect: The Consumer Reports Archives,” a new exhibit at Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, celebrates the nine-decade influence of Consumer Reports through its research, testing, investigative journalism, and consumer advocacy.

The exhibition features items from the nonprofit organization’s archives, including testing equipment, archival photos, CR-tested products, and historic documents and books. The archives present a robust resource on topics ranging from product safety and public health to low-income credit and publishing.

“Behind every test, investigation, and rating is a commitment to help generations of people stay safe, be healthier, and save money.” said Phil Radford, President and CEO of Consumer Reports. “This exhibit gives students and visitors a window into that work, from guiding purchases to shaping policies and corporate practice. We hope it inspires them to imagine new ways of protecting and informing consumers in the years ahead.”

Duke’s Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History, which is home to the largest repository documenting the history of advertising and marketing in the world, acquired CR’s archives in 2019. 

“This exhibition gives students, researchers, and the public a unique lens into the evolution of marketing, product testing, and consumer protection,” said Jacqueline Wachholz, Director of Hartman Center for Sales, Marketing & Advertising History at Duke’s Rubenstein Library. “Bringing the CR archives into the Rubenstein Library allows us to explore that legacy in new and interactive ways. The exhibit reflects the powerful collaboration between Duke and CR – one designed to foster innovation, experimentation, and education.”

A highlight of the exhibit comes from a group of first-year engineering students, who reimagined a vintage CR toothbrush tester and redesigned it for the modern era. Other artifacts include: a lipstick tester, a shoe tester, a saucepan that melted in testing, a newsletter on lead in water, and a book about advocating and organizing.

The exhibit is the second of two. In November, “This Sneeze was for Science” opened, featuring attention-grabbing photos of products being tested, photos featured in Consumer Reports, and photos of products being used, such as a person climbing out of a window with an escape ladder.

About Duke Libraries:

The Duke University Libraries advance the research, teaching, and public service mission of Duke University by providing outstanding collections, trusted expertise, and exceptional service in a welcoming and inclusive environment. We are the intellectual crossroads of the university, empowering scholarship and creativity across all fields of inquiry. The William R. Perkins Library, Bostock Library, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and von der Heyden Pavilion comprise the university’s main library complex, which is joined on East Campus by the Lilly and Music Libraries. Together with the separately administered libraries serving the schools of Business, Divinity, Law, and Medicine, they comprise one of the nation’s top 10 private research library systems. Collections include more than 8 million volumes, 20 million manuscripts, tens of thousands of films and videos, and hundreds of thousands of digitized materials. Find out more at library.duke.edu.