Standardization is important for us too. Rather than try to force the square Standards system into the round (+/-) hole of our requirements, I built one that does what we need it to (and a few things the OOTB Standards can't).
It is interesting. Can I familiarize myself with this material, or is it the secret information?
The general layout I use is to store the data in XML files, using XSD schema to assist changes via Intellisense and XSL stylesheets to dynamically display the data in HTML tables (self-documenting standards - no more typing everything out TWICE!).
The dotNET standards DLL uses an abstract base class to build the basics of how to handle a standard, and inerits it to each of the different "areas" that need handling e.g. layers, line types, text styles, and so on. It also includes some versioning controls to ensure the latest data is being used without needlessly importing the entire set of data every time a drawing is opened. In my existing structure I've already got the code hooks for setting (add if needed) standards, getting (throwing up, or returning active if missing), adding, updating, and batch-adding. The hooks are there for both the dedicated standards controls for add/update/remove/all standards, as well as being called frequently in programs for inserting blocks, text, changing object layers, and all sorts of other "stuff".