Elizabeth Kurrus Historical Research

08/24/2026

Authors, archivists, historians and bibliophiles have launched an online war against tech giants and artificial intelligence developers after an increasing mountain of evidence shows they’re buying rare and antique books en masse and feeding them to large language models—only to slice off their spines and destroy the original print copies in the process.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/08/17/ai-companies-are-buying-and-destroying-antique-books-heres-why/?utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ForbesMainFB
Photo: Getty Images

08/22/2026

08/14/2026

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07/23/2026

I recommend this‼️ This is a great opportunity 📕

Are you in a book club, a women's group, DAR, or PEO? I'd love to visit with your group in person or by Zoom. Please nominate Dear Nora for your reading calendar and contact me to schedule a visit! https://karenberkeyhuntsberger.com/book-clubs

07/17/2026

NEW: A federal book banning bill has been introduced in the Senate. It's time to make our voices heard and protect the freedom to read.

Tell your Senators to REJECT pro-censorship legislation like S. 4925 that would limit people's freedom to read. We need every advocate to speak out against censorship: action.ala.org/campaign/S4925

07/09/2026

NCPH Statement in Response to the White House “Saving America’s Story” Report and in Support of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Published July 9, 2026 The National Council on Public History (NCPH) rejects the findings of the “Saving America’s Story” report on the Smit...

07/08/2026

The Smithsonian belongs to the public, not to any political agenda.

The AHA has long defended the Smithsonian's independence and its essential role in helping the public engage with evidence-based history. Explore our recent advocacy statements and media coverage:

• Historians Defend the Smithsonian https://www.historians.org/news/historians-defend-the-smithsonian/
• ABC News: https://abcnews.com/Politics/scathing-report-white-house-accuses-smithsonian-presenting-radical/story?id=134515705
• Inside HigherEd: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/editors-note/2026/07/02/how-will-we-look-back-moment-higher-ed
• NPR: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/07/nx-s1-5883940/trump-administration-accuses-smithsonian-museum-of-extreme-political-activism
• NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/arts/design/white-house-smithsonian-american-history-museum.html

07/06/2026

Shutting down truthful, objective history is a means of stifling democracy. We must stand with the Smithsonian and all keepers of our collective history.

The White House has released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian Institution of engaging in "extreme political activism" and presenting "a radical view of American history."

The report, which was published on July 4, particularly took aim at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, accusing its leadership of adopting "an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens."

Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian, which oversees 21 museums, galleries and the national zoo, told ABC News that the institution remains committed to impartial learning.

Read more: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/DyO7JK

07/02/2026

Archives at work! 🇺🇸

Ahead of Independence Day, a story brought to you by the scientists of the Library's Preservation Research and Testing Division.

Throughout the month of June 1776, Thomas Jefferson composed “A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled,” which we know as the Declaration of Independence. As he edited, he made careful strike outs. However, in one area on page 2, there’s an obvious smudge rather than a neat cross out.

Upon closer examination under the microscope, it’s evident there is a word underneath, with “citizens” having been judiciously written atop. Spectral imaging reveals that Jefferson first wrote “our fellow subjects."

The change emphasizes the weight that words carry — "subjects" evoking the monarchy the Founding Fathers wanted to earn their liberation from, "citizens" indicating the forging of a new path — and Jefferson’s keen ability to incite emotion, inspiration, and motivation in his writing.

Read about how the discovery was made at the Library: https://blogs.loc.gov/preservation/2022/07/founding-fathers-independence-day/?loclr=fbloc