Wikipedia:Peer review/Phillips Exeter Academy Library/archive1

Phillips Exeter Academy Library edit

I've listed this article for peer review to prep it for FA nomination.

Thanks, alphalfalfa(talk) 02:40, 29 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Rhinopias edit

Hi, alphalfalfa! I've read through the article and here are some suggestions:

Lead

  • I rewrote the first paragraph here, feel free to change if desired. I don't think mentioning its size prior to its relationship with the academy makes sense, and I wanted the statement about it being the largest secondary school library before its capacity.
  • Seems like a good representation of the article!

History and services

  • Two sentences which end paragraphs don't have footnotes so their sourcing isn't clear – if adding footnotes would be redundant you could list where the info is from in hidden comments following the sentences
  • Paragraphs can be combined so they're more substantial – I see how they're organized based on the topic, but they could be grouped by date ranges (e.g. 1800s – 1950, new library beginnings – 2006, maybe the latest stuff with most recent statistics on its own if it's substantial enough)
  • Image caption: the architectural points aren't discussed in the body of this section
  • less emphasis on shushing library patrons – could use a reword to replace "shushing"
  • Replace the use of Today, see MOS:DATED
  • I see that In 1995, the library was officially named the Class of 1945 Library, honoring … is from a source, but I don't understand the significance of that; if it's just a bureaucratic thing and no one refers to the library by that name I'd remove the "officially named" part
  • I'm not sure if the library's "services" are really discussed in this section, so it could be called just History (unless it's expanded, of course!)

Choosing Louis Kahn as architect

  • The section title could be more succinctly "Selecting an architect", otherwise please add "the" to the current
  • chosen to design the new library for Phillips Exeter Academy – to clarify after listing others
  • Don't think the second quote from Kahn describing books is necessary, but the first I think gives some context

Architecture

  • The library's heating and cooling needs are supplied by the nearby dining hall – so there is no HVAC infrastructure in the library? Don't really understand what this means
  • Also, that sentence doesn't need to be on its own line
  • File:Phillips-Exeter-Academy-Library-Exterior-Exeter-New-Hampshire-Apr-2014-b.jpg could be cropped to focus on the building more if the quality is good enough (which it seems to be), so the reader may be able to refer to the image from the text without opening up the image
  • In paragraph two of #Exterior, the last sentence of the quote (The Library at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire (1967–1972) is a classic example) isn't necessary as that can be summarized
  • Could add "(a form of limestone)" or similar after travertine
  • I think the paragraphs of #Interior could also be combined a bit – the last three are good

Architectural interpretations

  • I'd move this section under the prior one and just call it "Interpretation", or maybe "Critical reception"/"Critical response" as it seems to be critical in nature (especially the second paragraph)?
  • Can you grab a ref from First Unitarian Church of Rochester to source the last sentence of the first paragraph, or is it already in a ref somewhere in the article?
  • Is the use of issue at the beginning of the second paragraph meant to be negative? Or is it just a notable topic to discuss?

Other

  • #Recognition: I think this section could be in prose format rather than a list; one of the three could be expanded a little so the paragraph is more than three quick sentences
  • #External links: can these two bullets be shortened? (e.g. cut "is an excellent resource", maybe "see Figure 6 for …")
  • I fixed up a few of the article's links. I recommend doing some preventative archiving.
  • Is the shortening of the name to Exeter Library an official thing that the library or academy itself uses? I'm not sure if it's an issue if not, but when the name needs to be reiterated you may just want to use the full name and use "the library" when possible
  • I found myself enjoying the quotes, but I think it's bordering on too many. It's not a copyright violation of online sources, but I can't say about offline ones. Perhaps you should evaluate which ones you feel are the most necessary throughout the article and paraphrase the others, mostly in #Architecture and #Architectural interpretations.

Very interesting article. I can't believe this school has such a nice library! Feel free to ping me when you respond to my comments. If you have time and wouldn't mind leaving comments on my open PR I'd really appreciate it! (And it's coincidentally another Twenty-five Year Award winner!) Rhinopias (talk) 00:30, 26 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]