Louis I. Kahn Reference Guide: The Design of the Library: Phillips Exeter Academy Archival Resources

If you would like to gain access to these materials you can submit a request via the Archives & Special Collections online request form to set-up an appointment for a research visit. 

Materials in the Phillips Exeter Academy Archives: 

• Wooden model of the Library, the dining hall and two adjacent buildings, in display case in the Periodicals Room on the ground floor.
• Preliminary models.
• Blueprints of plans.
• Sepia drawings.
• Miscellaneous correspondence and papers, chiefly exchanges between the Academy Librarian and Mr. Kahn and his staff.
• Photographs of the building from construction and dedication to the present.
• Kalan, Wendy. "Presentation Boards, Model, Elevation Study, Slides." From a student analysis project done for a course at The Cooper Union, 1974.

Published materials in the Phillips Exeter Academy Archive:

Armstrong, Rodney. "The New Library." The Phillips Exeter Bulletin
     Summer 1967: 4-9. 
          A discussion of early plans for the new building, which includes reproduction
          of a drawing by Kahn, an elevation, floor plan, and brief biography of Kahn.
         
Bedford, Henry F. A New Library at Exeter. Exeter, NH: Phillips Exeter Academy
      Press, 1968.
          Issued for "The Long Step Forward," this pamphlet outlines the need for a new
          building and the relationship of the Library to the curriculum of the school. It is
          interesting background for considerations of design and function.

Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson. Serendipity and Service. Exeter, NH: The Phillips 
     Exeter Academy, 1973. 
          A two-page leaflet with cover title "The Library." This was written after the
          building had been in use for a few years and gives interesting insight into how
          the building is functioning for the user.

Clark, Susannah. "An Open Book." The Exeter Bulletin Winter 2006: 20. 
          An article on the 100 years of the library at Phillips Exeter Academy and the
          changes that occurred in the Academy libraries over that time.

Friends of the Academy Library. The Library at Phillips Exeter Academy. 
     Exeter, NH: 1984.
          This eight-page pamphlet describes the building, the collections and the
          history of the Library. Illustrated with photographs and a wood engraving.

James-Chakraborty, Kathleen, Rodney Armstrong, and Beth Brosnan. 
     "Our Architect." The Exeter Bulletin Spring 2004: 24.
          Articles on the significance of the building by an architectural historian, a
          recollection of how Kahn came to design the library, and an interview with
          filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn on My Architect.

Phillips Exeter Academy. Dedication of a New Library for Exeter, October 
     21, 1972. Exeter, NH: 1972.
          Portfolio program containing three wood engravings in chiaroscuro by John
          De Pol, A.N.A.

Phillips Exeter Academy. Fact Sheets for Visitors: The Library Building. Exeter, 
     NH: 1972.
          A single sheet of general information, and a two-page listing of manufacturers
          and suppliers of furniture and equipment, consultants on design and
          construction and major subcontractors.

Phillips Exeter Academy. Program of Requirements for the New Library 
     Recommended by The Library Committee of the Faculty. Exeter, NH:
     June 1966.
          This report of The Committee has the cover title "Proposals for The Library
          at The Phillips Exeter Academy."

Tingley, Marcia. The Class of 1945 Library: Phillips Exeter Academy. 
     [writer, Marcia Tingley; photographer, Brian Crowley; designer, 
     Nancy Shipley; editor, Beth Brosnan] Exeter, NH: 2009.
          12 p. Essay on the design and construction of the Library, 
           with photographs and plans.