I had a problem that twenty years of "digital hoarding" created: 180+ technical eBooks and hundreds of PDFs buried inside my NAS (Network Attached Storage). It was a goldmine of knowledge, but it was silent. If I wanted to find a specific configuration for a 2014 Linux kernel or a Drupal 7 hook, I had to hunt for it manually.
The goal was simple but ambitious: Move beyond a "folder of files" and build a living, breathing intelligence engine. I wanted a system that could read, index, and surface knowledge instantly.
Why Drupal 11?
I chose Drupal 11 not just as a CMS, but as a robust framework for data management. By leveraging the Migrate API, NFS mounts, Apache Solr, and a local Large Language Model (LLM), I've transformed a static archive into "The Automated Librarian."
This series documents every step of that journey—from the "soul-crushing" realization of the scale of the task to the high-tech satisfaction of a sub-second full-text search.
The Journey So Far
The Automated Librarian: Part 1 - Architecting an Intelligent eBook Library in Drupal 11
Tired of manual data entry? See how I built an "Automated Librarian" in Drupal 11. This series explores using Migrations, Open Library, and Ollama to turn raw files into an AI-summarized, full-text searchable discovery engine.
The Automated Librarian: Part 2 – The Migration Engine
Taming 20 years of data chaos. In Part 2, I build the Drupal 11 migration engine to move hundreds of eBooks from a legacy NAS into a structured Media Library using the Migrate API and custom PHP process plugins.
The Automated Librarian: Part 3 - Indexing PDF Content with Solr & Tika in Drupal 11
Stop searching for filenames and start searching inside your data. Learn how to use Apache Solr and Tika to index PDF content in Drupal 11, configure weighted search boosts, and unlock the "Black Box" of your Media Library.
The Automated Librarian: Part 4 – Local AI and the Metadata Makeover
Learn how to automate eBook metadata enrichment in Drupal 11 using local AI and external APIs. I walk through using Ollama for AI summaries and Open Library for ISBN lookups, all managed by a robust, decoupled Queue API architecture.
The Automated Librarian: Part 5 – Fine-Tuning the UI with Facets and Search API
Stop searching and start discovering. Learn how to use Drupal 11, Search API, and Facets to turn stagnant data into a professional, AJAX-powered research portal.
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