Liferay’s Documents and Media library provides a mechanism for storing files online using the same type of structure that you use to store files locally. You can use it to store files of any kind; it serves as a virtual shared drive. The Documents and Media portlet takes its name from the fact that it represents a redesign of two portlets from previous versions: the Document Library and the Image Gallery. First, the Documents and Media library serves as a repository for all types of files; there’s no need to store image files in a separate Image Gallery anymore. Second, the Media Gallery portlet introduced in Liferay 6.1 does not serve as a repository but just displays selected content from the Documents and Media library. It can display image, audio and video files. Other new features include customizable document types and metadata sets, automatic document preview generation, and support for mounting multiple external repositories. The new document types and metadata sets are an addition to, not a replacement for, the portal’s system of tags and categories. Let’s start exploring how to use the Documents and Media portlet.