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Tri-Conference 2007Google Calendar and More
Eunice SchroederStevens County LibraryHugoton, Kansas
Janelle JarboeSouthwest Kansas Library SystemDodge City, Kansas
What we will cover today:
Why Use Google Calendar? Getting Started Suggestions for using it in your library Our Experiences
– Other Positives– Things to think about– Getting staff on board– Cons
Other Google Offerings
Why Google Calendar? The Pros
It’s free! Easy to Update
– Can drag and drop events – Easy to expand time by dragging event – Searchable inside your calendar and public events– Quick Add– Recognizes shorthand
Recognizes noon as 12 pm.– Import and export calendars– Can copy from one calendar to another
Easy to Use– Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.– Notifications – by email or text messaging
Reminders Invitations Agenda
Compatible with IE 6 or higher, Firefox 1.0.7 or later, and Safari 2.0.3
Getting Started
Go to http://calendar.google.com Click on Create a New Google Account Use your current email address, enter a password, enter first
and last name, do word verification, create your account Will receive a verification email, click on verification link to
activate your account You’re ready to begin! Start entering your event dates Google tutorial/tour available:
– http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/tour.html– Link is also available on calendar login page
Getting Started - Sharing
To share your calendar click on the drop down next to your name and click on
“Share this calendar”
When you share your calendar with someone it automatically adds your calendar to their calendar
Suggestions for Use
Link library activity calendar to home page Work schedules Track leave, appointments Coordinate work and personal schedule
Our Experiences – SWKLS Calendar
Our Experiences – Stevens County Calendar
Our Experiences - Other Positives
Ability to have multiple calendars– Color-coded– Everyone’s schedule is in one place
Can be embedded, i.e. library web pages– Google Calendar Event Publisher Guide– http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/event_publisher_guide.html
Customizable– Management– Privacy
Events can be invisible or can be seen on other calendars as “busy” – Can add events in a series
Useful for recurring holidays, board and/or staff meetings, etc
Our Experiences - Things to Think About
Defaults to 1 hour time frame– Good and bad
Changes or deletions to series will ask if you want to do one or all of them
Our Experiences – Getting Staff on Board
Have at least one person on staff who is a calendar “expert”
Hold a short 45min – 1 hour training to get staff comfortable with the calendar
– Set up accounts prior to the training– The calendar tour/tutorial is a great training tool
Get rid of group paper or wall calendars if possible Make it easy for staff to access
– Create a shortcut or add calendar to favorites
Our Experiences - Cons
To see an individual day you must click on the small calendar at the left and not the main screen. Clicking on the day in the main calendar will let you add an event.
Small calendar and main calendar are separate from each other. If you advance or go back in one it may not do it on the other.
Printing is not as easy as it could be. Would be nice if the calendar would expand to the day with the
most events. Have to expand the fuller days yourself to see all events.
Sometimes hard to get all staff members interested in using the calendar.
Other Google Offerings
Google Docs and Spreadsheets – easy way to collaboratively share documents and spreadsheets
– http://docs.google.com Picasa – share photos, organize photos, free
downloadable photo editor– http://picasa.google.com/
Google Earth – view satellite images– http://earth.google.com
Google Maps – maps, directions– http://maps.google.com
Our Presentation
You can download our presentation at:http://www.swkls.org/triconference.ppt
Contacting Us:
Eunice Schroeder, DirectorStevens County Library Hugoton, [email protected]
Janelle Jarboe, Assistant Tech Consultant/TrainerSouthwest Kansas Library SystemDodge City, [email protected]
