Here’s an example of a project in Mandala. We’ve collected a series of poetry readings and performances from open-source databases like PennSound. To enhance the collection, we’ve added lesson plans, biographies, and data visualizations. The final set of resources contains:
- A collection of video and sound recordings from reading series around the country, with a subcollection for each reading. These videos are cataloged by subject and location.
- A graph on the gender of poetry slam finalists.
- A lesson plan for teaching students about poetry as an oral genre, using the media resources in Mandala.
- A bibliography of resources on poetry performance.
...
- audio-video.shanti.virginia.edu for sound and video recordings
- visuals.shanti.virginia.edu for data visualizations, like the graph on poetry slam finalists
- texts.shanti.virginia.edu for written resources, like the lesson plan
- sources.shanti.virgina.edu for bibliographies, like the list of resources on poetry performances
We'll walk you through adding sound and video slowly. After that, you'll use similar steps for each tool, so we won't describe them in detail. We will, however, link to handy step-by-step guides within this Knowledge Base. You can reference these if you need help.
Add sound and video
...
First, we'll work with sound and video recordings in Audio-Video.
Sign in to audio-video.shanti.virginia.edu by by clicking the icon in the top right corner, then Log in Via NetBadge. Don't worry about whether you have an account: Mandala works with your computing id and password. Mandala may even sign you in automatically once you click Log in.
...
Add each recording to the collection or subcollection.
Add a visualization
Your visualization data needs to be in a Google spreadsheet. This tutorial on creating a timeline walks you through the process. You can also use the Bar Chart guide if you want to create the same graph used in the example. Use Spreadsheet Data might also be helpful.
Once you've made your spreadsheet, log in to visuals.shanti.virginia.edu. Create a collection by clicking 
> Collections > Add New Collections. See Make a Collection for more details.
To add a chart, click Add Shivanode from your new collection page. Choose your chart type, then add your spreadsheet url in the "Data Source URL" field. Make sure link sharing is on. See Create a Visualization for more details.
Add texts
Sign in to texts.shanti.virginia.edu, then Add a Collection. Once you have your collection, you can Create Texts. You build texts by creating a main page, then adding section pages to that page. Any new pages can have their own subsections – check out the guide to a text's structure for details.
Add sources
Sign in to sources.virginia.edu, then Make a Source Collection. You can then Add a Source to start building your bibliography. The "Notes" section is particularly useful if you want to make an annotated bibliography.
2. Create new Knowledge Maps
Knowledge Maps can be subjects (like "parasites" or "cultural landscapes") or places (like "Charlottesville" or "The Rotunda"). Before you decide whether you need new Knowledge Knowledge Map, go to mandala.shanti.virginia.edu/subjects and mandala.shanti.virginia.edu/places. On each site, click the magnifying glass icon to the right to see the full taxonomy of sites. The term you need might already be in the database. If so, skip to the next step.
If the term or taxonomy doesn't fit your needs, contact Than Grove at than@virginia.edu. He'll set up a meeting to discuss your project. Before you meet, consider your needs and the shape of your subject and place ontologies. Go through the existing tree and think about where your terms might fit best, if they fit at all.
3. Label resources with Knowledge Maps
To add a Knowledge Map term, open the resource within its Mandala tool, then click Edit. You'll find a "Place" or "Subject" field in the metadata. When you start typing a term into this field, a list of potential Knowledge Maps will unfold. Click on a Knowledge Map to add it to your resource: it will appear below the entry field. Use the x that appears next to a term to remove it.
You now have enough knowledge to build your own collections and link them with Knowledge Maps. To learn more about using Mandala, check out the Mandala Suite of Tools step-by-step guides.