Good organization is what makes a resource library usable. Each resource gets classified through a few complementary layers, and each answers a different question for the visitor.
Think in two layers
- Resource Type — What kind of thing is this? (Sermon, Article, Podcast Episode…)
- Topic — What is this about? (Prayer, Faith, Community…)
Together these answer most of the "where do I look?" questions a visitor has. Everything else — series, scripture, author, date — adds context within those layers.
Resource Types
Resource Types classify content by genre, not by media format. A sermon is a sermon whether it's audio, video, or text — don't create separate types for each delivery format. See Resource Types for more.
Topics
Topics are broad categories like "Prayer," "Faith," or "Community." Each resource has exactly one topic — the main subject it's about. This is a deliberate discoverability choice: forcing one primary topic keeps the topic filter meaningful instead of every resource showing up under everything.
For resources that genuinely span multiple subjects (a panel discussion, a wide-ranging interview), pick the single most central topic. See Managing Topics.
Series
Series group sequential resources together — a sermon series, a multi-part Bible study, a podcast season. Each resource can belong to one series, and series get their own pages listing everything included.
Scripture
Link resources to specific Bible passages. Unlike topics, a resource can reference multiple scriptures — a sermon on Romans 8 might also draw from Psalm 23.
Author / Speaker
Who delivered or wrote the resource. For panel discussions or interviews, you can list multiple authors.
The goal: Organization is invisible when it works. Visitors don't think about taxonomies — they just think "I want to hear what he preached about prayer." Consistent, thoughtful categorization makes that path exist.