Library

The Library is one of Storyden's core features, designed to be a powerful knowledge curation system for communities. Unlike the chronological and conversational nature of forums, the Library provides a structured way to build and maintain a community knowledge base.

What is the Library?

At its core, the Library is a tree of pages, also known as "nodes" - content pages that are organized into a tree structure. Each node can contain rich text content, properties, assets (images, files), and can be connected to other nodes to form a rich knowledge graph.

The Library is designed for collaborative curation - enabling communities to build directories, wikis, catalogs, and knowledge bases together.

How it compares to other systems

vs Traditional Wikis (MediaWiki, Fandom/Wikia)

While both the Library and wikis aim to create collaborative knowledge bases, there are key differences:

• Structure: Traditional wikis are primarily flat collections of pages with minimal inherent structure beyond categories and links. The Library's node-based approach enables true hierarchical organization.
• Properties: The Library has a built-in property system that allows structured data on nodes, similar to infoboxes in wikis but more powerful and easier to use.
• Modern UX: The Library focuses on a clean, modern interface without the technical barriers that often come with wiki markup.
• Integration: Unlike standalone wikis, the Library is fully integrated with Storyden's forum, members, roles, and other features.

vs Notion and modern knowledge tools

The Library shares some similarities with tools like Notion:

• Flexible structure: Both allow for hierarchical organization of content
• Property systems: Both offer customizable properties to enhance content with structured data
• Modern interfaces: Both emphasize clean, accessible UI

However, the Library is specifically designed with community collaboration in mind rather than team productivity, with permissions and workflows built for public communities and integrated with forum discussions.

vs Traditional CMS systems

Unlike CMS systems that typically separate content creators from content consumers, the Library is built for community participation where appropriate permissions can allow members to contribute while maintaining quality control.

The review queue allows anyone to submit changes or new pages for moderators to accept, deny or suggest improvements before publishing.

Technical Overview

The Library is built on a foundation of "nodes" that can be connected in parent-child relationships. Each node has:

• A unique identifier and slug for linking
• Rich text content using a modern editor
• Optional properties with various data types
• Support for attached assets (images, documents, etc.)
• Visibility controls (draft, published, etc.)
• Tags for cross-cutting organization
• Owner and contributor tracking

The property system deserves special mention - it's designed to allow communities to create structured data schemas for nodes, enabling powerful use cases like:

• Character databases with consistent attributes
• Product catalogs with comparable specifications
• Location directories with standardized information
• And much more, limited only by your imagination!

Use Cases

The Library excels at many knowledge management scenarios:

• Community wikis: Build collaborative knowledge bases about your community's focus
• Directories: Create structured directories of people, places, products, or aesthetics
• Documentation: Maintain living documentation that evolves with community input
• Resource collections: Curate collections of resources on specific topics
• Worldbuilding: Build expansive fictional worlds with deeply interconnected elements

Integration with Forums

What makes the Library especially powerful in Storyden is its deep integration with discussions. Discussions in forums can reference Library nodes, and Library pages can link back to relevant discussions. This creates a powerful synergy between conversational content and curated knowledge.

Advanced Features

Beyond the basics, the Library offers several advanced capabilities:

• Property schemas: Define consistent property structures for groups of related nodes
• Table views: Display child nodes in a rich data-table format based on their properties
• API access: Access Library content programmatically through the Storyden API
• AI assisted organisation: Quickly define titles, tags, location using the Semdex
• URL Import: Create pages straight from a URL, importing metadata and using AI to summarise.

The Library is designed to grow with your community, starting simple but scaling to handle complex knowledge structures as your needs evolve.