Online Calendar

Submission

Each branch has an Excel Calendar submission file named Branch_CalendarSubmission.xlsx. This file is located in the P:\Calendar Submission\Branch folder, and is to be the only file in that location. It is permissible for branches to create and use subfolders at that location as they wish.

Calendar submission work is due by the end of the day on the 15th of the month (or next business day if the 15th is a weekend/holiday).

Include events for the next two full calendar months. Please delete prior months' events from CalendarSubmission.

Example:  On July 15th, submit events for August and September; remove any July events)

Don't include Storytimes or the regularly-occurring, after-storytime events (MOM club, Stay and Play...). These events are included in the calendar automatically.

Event Entry

• Each event should utilize one (and only one) row in the spreadsheet.
• If an event repeats, create an entry for each occurrence.
  • Each entry for a repeating event should have identical Titles and Descriptions
  • Copy and paste entries to save yourself time and effort.
• If a multi-day event begins on a date in one month and ends on a date in the following month, only one entry is required.

Fields

Time Start and Time End both are optional - Leave these both blank for all-day activities. It is permissible to include a Time Start and leave the Time End blank. Events will display in the Word calendar as “10:30 - 11:30 AM” if both start / end times are used, and “10:30 AM” if only a start time is entered. The online calendar will default to a half hour block if there is no end time.

Do not use 3:00 p.m. as a time format. Unfortunately, Excel does not recognize that as a time format. Please use 3:00 PM formatting.

Date Start and Date End Date Start required; Date End optional - You may leave the Date End field blank unless the event is multi-day. If an event is all month, please enter the first and last day of the calendar month (like 1/01/2019 and 01/31/2019) even if the library is closed on one of those dates.

Branch required - Please use the abbreviations BB, CB, FL, or MPL. ONLINE is also a valid entry for anyone's use.

Short Description and Description both are optional - You can put as much text as you want in the descriptions. Description, only, is used for the Word and Online calendars. Short Description is under Linda's purview.

• To make it easier to enter large amounts of text into a cell, you can increase / decrease the height of Excel's Formula Bar using Ctrl-Shift-U or drag the bottom of the formula bar to suit your preference.
• It is OK to apply Wrap Text (Home ribbon, Alignment section) on cells at your preference for ease of viewing.
• Don’t enter a singular entry's description using multiple cells / rows. A description for an entry must go in one cell.
• You can have multiple paragraphs in one cell. How? Instead of “Enter” to end a paragraph like you’d do in Word, do an “Alt-Enter” (that is, hold Alt key down then press Enter).
• Do not use multiple "space" characters to align text or attempt formatting.
• It is OK if your event description scrolls far to the right, overlapping adjacent cells.

Spellcheck:  There aren’t automatic "red squiggly lines" in Excel like there are in Word.  But, a Spellcheck button lives on the Review tab, or press the F7 key at any time.

Calendar entries in the Word calendar will be grouped together in a block if the Titles and Descriptions are identical.
If your event happens multiple times per month, I recommend copy and pasting the description from one event entry to another. Or, copy and paste the entire event row.