Update: Research, Discovery, and Growth
As you may know, Exchanged Library has been built with extensive assistance from AI tools. I primarily use Claude Code to develop the tools that support the research, organization, and presentation of the Library’s data.
Over the past year, I’ve developed a custom database and research environment with AI assistance. In the past few days, I’ve made another round of improvements to the research tools, making the process faster and more comprehensive. At this point, the limiting factor is often the availability of AI credits, since I rely on higher-end models for much of the research.
The good news? Today alone, I added:
- 5 new authors
- 86 new works
- 410 new editions
- 51 new “Read Here” texts — complete works you can read online, free of charge!
The challenge is that researching one author almost invariably leads to discovering several more. It’s a bit like chasing my own tail.
One of the research tools identifies connections between authors and works to help build the Library’s interactive Influence Map. As it traces who influenced whom across centuries of Christian thought, new branches emerge, often leading to authors not yet in the database. The more I research, the more there is to research!
Progress and What’s Ahead
Authors whose works remain under copyright are generally the easiest to research, and I’ve completed an initial research pass for 162 of those authors.
The greater challenge—and opportunity—lies with public-domain authors. Their writings often span centuries, multiple editions, translations, and publishers, with many texts scattered across different online archives.
So far, I’ve completed detailed research on 57 of the 369 public-domain authors currently in the Library. My goal is to complete another 60–80 over the next ten days.
Even authors who haven’t yet received this deeper research treatment are represented in the Library. Their biographies, historical timelines, influence connections, and other available information can help you discover writers and works you might otherwise never encounter.
An Ever-Expanding Resource
What began as an effort to organize Christian literature has become an increasingly interconnected resource for exploring the history and development of Christian thought.
The timeline, Influence Map, searchable catalog, curated Collections, edition information, and growing selection of freely readable texts are all designed to help you explore for yourself.
I appreciate your patience as I continue expanding and refining the Library. My aim is to make Exchanged Library one of the most comprehensive, freely accessible resources for exploring Christian literature and scholarship.
Free to use. No registration. No advertising. Now and always.
You can follow the Library’s growth and see the latest numbers here: