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LibCal Calendar Events

Note: Booking a Room

Please note:  When booking a room while creating an event - please make sure to follow up with AIS if you need more than the standard number of laptops at roomrequests@lib.arizona.edu.   Include the date/time and room number for the event.

Reminder by room:

  • Data Studio:      NO LAPTOPS  - by request only!
  • B250:                 8 laptops
  • B252:                15 laptops
  • B254:                15 laptops
  • 112:                   26 laptops
  • WSEL 212:       12 laptops

Navigating Calendars & Adding Events:

LibCal is a SpringShare application and part of the suite of tools available to the University of Arizona Libraries that includes LibGuides, LibAnswers and LibInsight too.   To use this product, you will first need to have an account set up by a Springshare administrator specially for use in LibCal (even if you already have an account for LibGuides, etc.  Please reach out to Amanda Meeks or Jennifer Church-Duran to get started.

Go to "arizona.libapps.com" and login with your Springshare account and navigate to "LibCal" in the top, left-hand blue button drop-down menu

  1. Click on Calendars from the command bar.
  2. Find the calendar you need to work on and click on the title from the Modify/View Calendar column on the Calendar Index tab. (NOTE:  the Libraries' master calendar is titled "Events & Workshops"

 

3. Click the  Add New Event button. You can also click on a day in the calendar to add a new event to that date

4.  On the Add New Event modal, choose Create From Scratch from the dropdown.

5.  Click the Continue button.

 

This will take you to the Add Event page, where you can configure the event's details. See the sections below for info about the available options.

Every event organizer needs to know:

Templates include some instructions and guidance for first-time event organizers, as well as those who need a refresher. They help us keep some aspects of event organizing across departments consistent.

If your event has been offered in the past, you may choose to "start fresh" and that gives you the option to "Find an event to copy" at the top of the new event page.

Starting fresh allows you to customize for truly unique events.

Once you create an event you may choose to make it a template for future use.

 

With multiple calendars and contributors scheduling can be a challenge. It is important for event organizers to be mindful of all of the working parts and teams involved in hosting library events. All event bookings are done through LibCal; further action in Outlook is not necessary.  (Please note:  when you book a learning studio via LibCal  - it automatically adds 15 minutes to the start and end of each reservation to allow for setup and clean-up.  do not additional time unless more is needed)

DO:

  • Select your location at the time of event creation. Even if you only make a draft of your event, it will hold the space for you.
  • Make sure that the LibCal system confirms that the space you'd like to use is available at the time of your event. It will automatically tell you if it is or isn't when you make the location selection.

DON’T:

  • Double book a space. If a space is already booked, seek an alternative location, date/time, or consult with LibCal admin about your event.
  • Forget about set up and clean up time; this also needs to be booked accordingly on LibCal to avoid double booking.
  • Publish a LibCal event without selecting a location.
  • Titles (title case ex. Research Skills for Graduate Students) should be as short, but as meaningful as possible.
  • Subtitles may be used but are neither required nor discouraged.
  • Event types and format designations such as drop-in, workshop, panel, etc. do not need to be part of the title, but should be included in the first sentence of the event description (i.e. "This workshop will...").
  • Recurring Series (on-going series, regularly offered but with varying content) needs to include the series title first, followed by the specific event name as follows: “Series Title: Event Title” (i.e. “Friday Tech Talk: Common Assessment Tools”).

The drop-in, workshop, or event description is a critical piece of information that will help people decide whether they want to participate. Generally you would use the same description across marketing materials (such as a print/digital flier, calendar entries, and outreach emails). When writing an effective description:

DO:

  • Be Organized and Concise - We want to give our users everything they could possibly need, but they are often better served by content that is concise and selective rather than exhaustively thorough.
  • Keep the intended audience in mind, make it welcoming and inviting. A beginner level workshop should not include jargon and abbreviations that are confusing or unclear. More on writing for your readers.
  • Identify the format or event type in the first sentence, followed by meaningful outcomes or objectives of the drop-in, workshop, or event (ex. __).
  • If it is appropriate, include a bio for guest speakers and outside partners or facilitators.
  • Add accessibility statements in the event description. I.e. “Questions or requests regarding disability-related accommodations should be directed to..." or “We are dedicated to creating a more accessible event. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs (i.e. ASL interpretation, scent free space, wheelchair access)”
  • For recurring series and repeat offerings include appropriate version of following at the end of description:
    • “For alternate sessions, select 'show more dates' below”
    • “Monthly (or weekly) workshop. Select ‘show more date’ below for other options”
    • “For more in the Friday Tech Talk series, select ‘show more dates’ below”

DON’T:

  • Use jargon or abbreviations that participants interested in the topic may not understand.
  • Use “click here” text descriptors if you are including URLs. Rather, use meaningful, active, succinct phrases for naming links such as “Review Adobe guide” or “Submit food request.”
  • Add accessibility statements without first familiarizing yourself with the space (to identify barriers and limitations), your ability to make the space accessible based on requests, and university resources for accessibility.
  • Select the appropriate location for your event from the drop-down options in LibCal.
  • If the event is online, you have the option to provide zoom information OR an event URL and password. If you do not require registration, the link will be available to anyone who views the event page. It is recommended to require registration for online events other than drop-in sessions.

Marketing & communication guidelines:

When creating your URL keep these UAL editorial style guidelines in mind:

  • Use all lower-case letters
  • Keep it short and simple
  • Don’t use punctuation, apostrophes, or other symbols
  • Don’t use spaces
  • Don’t use underscores
  • Use a hyphen between words if you like
  • Use only one or two words, unless absolutely necessary
  • Use short and commonly known words and abbreviate if it will make sense to the user
  • LibCal does not let you re-use friendly URLs very easily
  • For recurring events use the semester/year-shortened name. (Example: /sp20-wtflab)
  • If you delete an event in a series the friendly URL stops working
  • For online events it is recommended to require registration. The basic registration form is a low barrier and only includes name and email.
  • Consider what other information you need and why before creating a registration form of your own.
  • Please use a LibCal registration forms vs. an external registration system (such as eventbright):
    • LibCal registration will allow you to manage an event and communicate with attendees using a single platform
    • An additional registration link within a LibCal event may cause confusion for attendees
    • To keep the registration process more consistent across events and workshops, so that our attendees become familiar with that process over time.
  • LibCal allows you to communicate with attendees in a few ways:
    • Email all registered attendees. You may set up and customize a reminder email when you create the event (or at a later date).
    • You may follow up with attendees after the event with feedback surveys and/or resources requested during the event.

Benefits of registration:

  • Allows event organizer to track and limit # of attendees.
  • Adds professionalism and formality to your event or workshop
  • Allows event organizer to communicate with attendees, including soliciting dietary and access needs prior to the event.
  • Allows event organizer to monitor and assess participant data, such as department, affiliation, etc.
  • Promotes deeper engagement and level of commitment from attendees.
  • Allows event organizer to streamline event check-in.
  • Allows to safely send zoom links and meeting passwords to registered attendees vs. leaving them open to zoom bombing.

Drawbacks of registration:

  • Room for human error (such as entering the wrong email)
  • Does not make sense for calendar entries such as drop-in sessions.
  • Requires an extra step that may deter potential attendees
  • LibCal allows event organizers to link to an existing/related LibGuides when building an event. This can be helpful for an event that requires in-depth and curated resources.
  • Event organizers may also embed external links in the description. Be sure not to use “click here” text descriptors if you are including URLs. Rather, use meaningful, active, succinct phrases for naming links such as “Review Adobe guide” or “Submit food request.”
  • One image is required for every workshop or workshop series.
  • Images should be no larger than 200px x 200px
  • Image should be uploaded into the “Shared Library > Workshop Images >” in Springshare
  • Typically, one promotional image is all that is needed for an event. However, exceptions may include a profile picture for the speaker, etc. Additional images may be added in the description/body. When adding images, make sure you size them according to % instead of pixels. % refers to the percentage of the screen they will take up when viewed on any device.
This is where we need to provide guidance and instructions on cross promoting on Drupal, if that is something we are going to do. Who to contact What they will need to create a redirect to the LibCal event General guidelines on when/why this is used. It should be minimal to avoid duplicative work.

You may wish to send follow up surveys and/or thank you emails to your attendees; it is important to do this immediately following the event.

When you create the event there is an option to set up a follow up email and customize it. This is the easiest way to do so, however, you may also go into the event page after the fact and send an email to those who registered.

After an event has concluded it is important to go in and report the number of people who actually attended and hit "save." This may be used for tracking participation and attendance at events both within your department and library-wide.

Additional SpringShare resources for event organizers:

This will take you to the Add Event page, where you can configure the event's details. See the sections below for info about the available options.

  • Event Date/Time
    • In this section, learn how to add setup and teardown padding, create an all-day event, and/or create a repeating event.
  • Title & Event Info
    • Learn how to give your event a title, description, friendly URL, featured image, and related guide from your LibGuides system.
  • Event Details
    • Learn how to select a location & campus, add equipment, choose an organizer & presenters, and assign audiences, categories, and/or internal tags.
  • Geolocation
    • If you added a Google Map box to your event page, learn how to customize the Google Map that displays for your event.
    • If you do not add a specific geolocation for your new event, the geolocation for the event's campus (if assigned) will be used.
    • If no campus is assigned, or the campus does not have a geolocation, the geolocation from your System Settings will be used.
  • Attachments
    • Learn how to attach files to an event that attendees can download via the public event page.
  • Event Registration
    • Enable and customize event registration options for your event.
    • Check out this section for more info on series linked events, which allow users to register for all events in a recurring series at once (instead of each single event individually).
  • Social Media
    • Optionally, you can choose to announce your new event via email or a connected Twitter or Facebook account.
  • Publishing Status
    • Publish your event right away, save it as a draft, or submit it for review (if your calendar has the Publishing Workflow enabled).