Module 2: Architecting the Personal Library

Deliverables:

A defined P.A.R.A. method folder structure within the mdBook's src directory and a METHODOLOGY.md which details the rules for creating new pages, the strategy for structuring chapters, and the lifecycle of issues and materials as they progress in the development cycle.

Tasks:

Design the foundational information architecture for your mdBook project. Instead of a freeform network for mdBook adapted to the content of an application, we will use a structured, hierarchical approach from the outset. Use the P.A.R.A. method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) as a conceptual guide to organize the top-level chapters and sections within your book's src directory.

The Zettelkasten concept of atomic notes is also adapted using the GitHub; each self-contained idea or piece of research that is not dismissed at the Issue level becomes a .md page within the book's structure, linked hierarchically in the SUMMARY.md file, starting in Projects folder, then moved.

We will rely upon the GitHub Discussion and Issue and Project functionality, fully exploiting GitHub's support of this this ... BEFORE graduating something to Project status in our PARA mdBook framework ... thus, it's important to understand the distinctions in the progression from ... Discussion ...to... Issue ...to... Project.

Discussions are mainly for just discussing something, to clarify terminology or ask questions or for just generally speculative thinking out loud.

Issues are for things that somebody really needs to look into and possibly turn into more of a Project.

The GitHub Project functionality is concurrent with the PROJECT status in our mdBook ... GitHub rather than mdBook is used because a GitHub project is adaptable collection of items that you can view as a table, a kanban board, or a roadmap and that stays up-to-date with GitHub data. Your GitHub projects can track issues, pull requests, and ideas that you note down and they can, of course, be linked to the .md page that an mdBook PROJECT has. PROJECTS are for big issues which are things that somebody really needs to look into and attempt to develop as more of a Project.

Graduating to Project status is the start of a bigger development commitment and the basis of the P.A.R.A. method of the Building a Second Brain (BASB) methodology.

P.A.R.A and BASB

As you will recall, the Building a Second Brain BASB method systematically manages information differently than just notetaking apps ... PROJECTS, have goals, reqmts and deadlines ... AREAS are about roles/responsibilities or obligations or capabilities that need to be earnestly developed ... RESOURCES, mostly finished AREAS, but also ongoing interests, assets, future inspiration, may req continual maintenance and refactoring but, for now, are backburnerable ... ARCHIVES, inactive matl from P A R that shouldn't be used, except for informational purposes.