LibCal for LibPas: Home

July – Notify subscribers to the LibCal listserv I will be pulling program reports. This gives them advance notice to finish entering program statistics for the closing fiscal year. This also allows me to block a week of my schedule to focus on the processing of the data for 30+ libraries.

August/September

Formatting changes: row height, add columns (LOCATION, COUNTY, DEWEY), delete columns (Setup, Teardown, Presenter, Confirmed Registrations, Waiting-List Registrations, Cancelled Registrations, Anticipated Attendance, Confirmed Attendance, Event URL), Audiences format to TEXT. 

Ensure the Library field is filled. 

Add appropriate COUNTY. 

Delete field Event Organizer. 

Find all CLOSED events and mark with location=CLOSED. 

Find all “CANCEL” events and mark with location=CANCELLED. 

Find all events Start Time=All Day Event and mark with location=SELF DIRECTED 

Find all grab and go events and mark with location=SELF DIRECTED 

Determine LOCATION based on location field, description search, actual attendance. 

As of FY24 and not included in program statistics:

• MEETING: Some libraries approached me last year about indicating private uses of the meeting rooms for MEETINGS that they posted on the public calendar, yet not library programs. Please double check these uses as appropriate for your library.
• SERVICE: A number of libraries post library services that have been excluded from live program statistics. Examples include: such as pest control, computer replacement, library open for browsing, children's room closed for inventory
• SET UP: An event described as set up for another event has been excluded from live program statistics. 
• STATS: Some libraries include general library stats in LibCal. These statistics have been excluded from live program statistics. Examples include: number of study rooms booked, volunteer hours
• TUTOR: According to the definition by IMLS, a one-on-one program such as tutoring does not qualify as a public program.

Self-Directed Program Definition - Self-directed (asynchronous) activities are planned, independent activities available for a definite time period. Like programs, self-directed activities may require staff resources to plan and prepare, design or distribute, and they may take place on or off-site. They differ from programs in that activities are unstructured and depend on the participation of the attendee to create the experience, rather than a structured presentation offered to a group at a set time.   

Examples of these types of activities include take-and-make crafts, art displays, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, DIY stations, social media challenges or trivia, and outdoor story walks. 

Determine Audience based on audience field, Internal Tags (see below), title field, description field.  

Begin by changing Adults, Older Adults to Adult. Change Babies & Toddlers to 0-5. Change Teens, Teens & Tweens to 12-18. Change All Ages to General. 

Create Pivot Table to capture summary data and enter the data into the Stats Template.

September/October - Share to LibCal and All PL Directors listservs.