There have been several additions to this building to accommodate the growing collection. The most recent addition was completed in 2019 and created room for an updated HVAC system, conservation lab, and multi-use learning lab. AAS was presented with the 2013 National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House. History of printing As part of AAS's mission as a learned society, it offers a variety of public lectures and seminars. One topic to which AAS dedicates significant academic energies is printing technology, especially in eighteenth-century British North America. Since Isaiah Thomas was a newspaper man himself, he collected a large number of printed materials. With regard to printing, paper making, edition setting, and reprinting, not much had changed in European technology by the eighteenth century. It was not until the late eighteenth century that paper-making material began to evolve from a hand-woven cloth to an industrial pulp. AAS undertakes special efforts to preserve printed records from this time period, as the Society maintains an on-site conservation department with various sewing, cloth, and binding materials to aid in the preservation process. Past Leaders Over its two hundred year history, the Society has had 14 formal leaders who have shaped the organization's vision, collections, and day to day operations. Leadership roles at the AAS have historically overlapped in chronology, as different roles oversaw different aspects of the Society simultaneously. Notable members The American Antiquarian Society's membership includes scholars, writers, journalists, historians, artists, filmmakers, collectors, American presidents, and civic leaders. Notable members include the following individuals: Benjamin Abbot John Adams John Quincy Adams Herman Vandenburg Ames Roald Amundsen Edward M. Augustus, Jr. George Bancroft Alexander Graham Bell Ned Blackhawk Ken Burns Jimmy Carter Bruce Catton Harriette L. Chandler Ron Chernow Bill Clinton Calvin Coolidge Walter Cronkite Robert Darnton Drew Gilpin Faust Moses Fisk Esther Forbes Henry Louis Gates Doris Kearns Goodwin Annette Gordon-Reed Samuel Swett Green Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler Rutherford B. Hayes Washington Irving Andrew Jackson John Jay Thomas Jefferson Tobias Lear Jill Lepore James Madison Othniel Charles Marsh David McCullough James Monroe Pedro II of Brazil Nathaniel Philbrick Dorothy B. Porter John Wesley Powell Franklin Pierce Rice Franklin D. Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt George Dudley Seymour William H. Taft Bushrod Washington Woodrow Wilson Gordon S. Wood Awards AAS was presented with the 2013 National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House. See also