[WikiEN-l] Notability in Wikipedia

[doc]

geni wrote:
> 2009/4/27 doc <doc.wikipedia at ntlworld.com>:
>> The sourcing issue on notability is silly. It seems to me to be the
>> brainchild of scientists who want to deny the fact that what's important
>>  in human life is subjective and cannot be reduced to some arithmetical
>> formula: sources *n / PI = notability.
>>
>> To take an obvious example. An article on an 18th church building, which
>> has been created using a well-researched webpage from the church and
>> perhaps some mention on the denomination's site, plus one brief mention
>> on the site of the village in which it is situation, is deleted as "not
>> notable" because it lacks "multiple third party sources".
> 
> If an 18th century church has managed to avoid appearing in any of the
> books on random bits of village architecture and in any of the local
> histories that fill the shelves of libraries it's not very notable. If
> a church has managed to exist since the 18th century without being the
> subject of even one local news piece it's heading towards impressively
> non notable territory. I can see it happening with some of the 60s
> built churches (assuming the local newspaper has a ban on printing
> anything religion related) but even 19th century would be rather
> surprising.
> 

Fine in theory, but doesn't actually work.

Because the 18th century church, unless it is architecturally unique or 
historically significant, may well be in print sources, but almost 
certainly none that anyone can find during the 5 days in afd. Local 
histories for location y, are not generally held by libraries in place z 
- even if any afd person bothered to look. Whilst one click on google 
will provide "multiple third party sources" for Numpty the 
one-hit-wonder for Kentucky.

No, some element of common sense and subjective judgement needs to be 
used, as much as the afd objectivists hate it.

Why on earth delete something, when the source is trustworthy, and the 
thing obviously has some degree of sustainable significance?