In today’s What We’re Reading, we feature the latest conversation relating to the National Association of Scholars’ report on Bowdoin, a look at one of the first “living archives,” a visual tour of duplitecture in China, and more!

History in the News
The Loss of a Major Monument at Gettysburg
The National Park Service knocks a Cyclorama down, while Pakistan lets an embassy stand.

President Obama Designates Five New National Monuments
Five new national monuments are deemed “unique natural and historic features in America.”

History of Data Journalism at the Guardian
Short video shows how early issues of the Guardian used text characters to create rudimentary graphics.

How Not to Defend the Liberal Arts
Conversation about the heavily publicized National Association of Scholars’ report on Bowdoin College has predictably followed left/right lines. Samuel Goldman, writing for the American Conservative, critiques the National Association of Scholars’ report on Bowdoin College from a conservative perspective.

Archive Talk
The Era of Deep Archiving Begins
The New York Times profiles the work of William McDonough, who has steadfastly maintained a living archive of his work and daily life, which is currently being housed at Stanford University Libraries’ Special Collections.

Tell Your Story Demonstrating “The Value of Archives”
Archival societies seeking examples of the value of archives.

The Arc-Hive Mind?
Matthew Linton, blogging for Ibid, discusses the question posed in outgoing AHA President Bill Cronon’s presidential address: “How can professional historians be encouraged to publish books for public consumption while retaining high research standards?”

Fun and Offbeat
Original Copies: Duplitecture in China
An exploration of the Chinese passion fpr architectural copies.

Another Call for Historians
On the heels of a call for historians for a reality show, which we posted last week, we received a request from Real History, a weekly web series on TheBlaze, seeking historians to speak on “little known aspects of history.” Interested historians can see examples of their work online, and can contact the series’ producer at MSmawley@theblaze.com with ideas.

History Renews Vikings for Second Season
The History Channel’s first scripted drama now has a regular audience of five million viewers and will go into a second season with 10 more episodes.

History Licking Its Chops to Judge George W. Bush
From the Onion, “Claiming it can barely wait any longer to weigh in on the former president’s eight years in office, history, the branch of knowledge consisting of the recorded past, reported today that it’s licking its chops to render a definitive judgment of George W. Bush.” Disclaimers and warnings: Satire. Partisanship. Ribald language.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.