First Steps in Logos Essentials: Layouts, Collections, Guides & Notes

Welcome to a hands‑on look at the first part of Dr. John Fallahee’s training webinar, “First Steps in Logos Essentials.” If you’re new to Logos or just looking for a refresher on the core tools, this article walks through the key features covered in the first 20 minutes—everything from the refreshed LearnLogos.com interface to practical tips for building layouts, collections, and using notes, highlights, and labels.

1. The New LearnLogos.com Experience

Dr. Fallahee opens the webinar by highlighting the updated LearnLogos.com site. The new site offers a clean navigation bar, a visible calendar of upcoming webinars, and a search bar that pulls directly into your Logos library. Users can sign in with their Logos credentials, which syncs library data and keeps their personal notes visible across devices.

2. Quick‑Start Layouts Made Simple

Logos ships with a set of pre‑built layouts designed for different study styles—Bible journal, word study, Greek study, and more. Dr. Fallahee demonstrates how to launch a quick‑start layout by clicking the layout icon in the toolbar. The layout window opens, showing pane divisions that match the name of the layout.

To save a layout for future use, choose Layouts > Save As… and give it a descriptive name. The layout then appears in your Saved Layouts list and can be dragged onto the toolbar for instant access.

3. Custom Layouts: Designing Your Own Workspace

Beyond the quick‑start templates, Logos allows you to build a custom layout from scratch. Start by opening the Layout Builder from the Layouts menu. Drag the desired panels—Bible, commentaries, research tools—into the workspace. Resize each pane by dragging the borders, and then click Save As… to keep the design.

Custom layouts are especially useful when you want a consistent arrangement for a particular type of study, such as a multi‑source exegesis of a single passage.

4. Collections: Grouping Resources for Focused Study

The webinar spends a good amount of time on collections, which let you bundle related books, commentaries, and articles into a single folder. Dr. Fallahee shows how to create a new collection by going to Library > Collections > New Collection and naming it. After the collection is created, you can drag items from the library into it.

Collections can be filtered automatically using rules. For example, a “Prophecy” collection might use rules such as Title contains “Prophecy” and Subject is “Bible–Prophecies”. These rules update the collection automatically as you add new resources, keeping your study area focused.

5. Notes, Highlights, and Labels: Building Your Personal Index

One of Logos’ most powerful features is the ability to annotate passages with notes, highlights, and labels. Dr. Fallahee demonstrates how to add a note by selecting a passage, right‑clicking, and choosing Add Note. Highlights can be applied by pressing the H key and selecting a color.

Labels are custom tags you create in the Labels dialog. They let you flag non‑textual information—such as a literary pattern or a theological theme—and then search for those tags across your entire library.

6. Using the Toolbar: Quick Access to Your Workflows

After saving a layout, Dr. Fallahee shows how to drag the layout’s icon onto the toolbar. The toolbar icon can be renamed or have its icon changed for clarity. You can also group multiple icons into a folder for a cleaner look.

When you need to return to a particular study setup, simply click the toolbar icon and the layout opens instantly—no need to navigate through menus.

7. Practical Checklist for Your Logos Toolbox

• Set up a quick‑start layout for Bible journaling.
• Create a custom layout for word study.
• Build a collection for your favorite commentaries.
• Use notes to record insights.
• Apply highlights to key passages.
• Define labels for themes like “God’s attributes” or “ABBA pattern.”
• Drag frequently used layouts onto the toolbar.
• Organize toolbar icons into folders when you have many shortcuts.
• Register for upcoming webinars directly from the LearnLogos.com page.

8. Looking Ahead

Dr. Fallahee concludes the segment by announcing the next webinar in the series: “Inductive Bible Study Basics for Logos.” Registration can be completed without leaving the webinar interface, ensuring you stay focused on learning.

With these foundational tools—layouts, collections, notes, highlights, labels, and toolbar shortcuts—you’ll have a versatile workflow that keeps your Bible study organized and centered on Scripture.