Reservation Calendar Instructions

Viewing Instrument Calendars

  • Select an instrument from the table by clicking on the instrument name and a calendar specific to the chosen instrument will appear on the page. Each instrument calendar is configured as a Google Resource Calendar, which you can add as a participant to a Google Calendar event much the same way as you would invite guests to events. You may add individual instrument calendars to your personal Google Calendar page by clicking on the +GoogleCalendar icon at the bottom of the instrument calendar display.

  • You can log in to the MSE Lab site via the "Sign in" link at the bottom of the page. If you are logged in with a Google account that is registered with the MSE Instructional Laboratory and you are an authorized user of the selected instrument, you will see full details of reservations made by other users on the calendar. If you wish to email the owner of an existing reservation, click on the reservation slot in the calendar view and select "more details". If you are not logged in with an authorized Google account, then you will see existing reservations as "busy" with no further details.

Making Instrument Reservations

  • After selecting the desired instrument calendar, click the "Add Reservation" button. You will be prompted to log in with a Google account if you have not already done so.

  • A Google Calendar event details page will open in a new browser window / tab, which will create a new event on your personal Google Calendar with the selected instrument as a participant.

  • Select the desired date and time of your reservation, then click "SAVE". Event details on your personal calendar will be mirrored on the instrument calendar. To maintain a uniform and tidy appearance on the instrument calendar, do not change the event title or location.

  • Note: If your web browser is signed in to multiple Google accounts at the same time, Google Calendar will create the event using the default Google account (the one you signed in with first, not necessarily the same account you were using to view the MSE Lab site). If necessary, switch the active account in the event details window to the Google account for which you registered for access to the MSE Instructional Laboratory. To switch accounts, click on your account icon (profile image or initial letter) in the upper right corner.


Verifying Reservations

After creating the reservation, your personal Google Calendar will be displayed. If you return to the MSE lab calendar site, refresh the instrument calendar by clicking on the instrument name in the table. Check the event details to confirm the reservation was created successfully. A valid reservation will appear during at the requested time on both your personal calendar and the MSE Lab instrument calendar site, as shown below, respectively.

Invalid Reservations

  • If the reservation appears on your personal calendar without the instrument listed or appears grayed out on the MSE Lab instrument calendar site (as shown below), the reservation has been declined by the instrument calendar. In this case you will receive an email notification about the declined event. Either your reservation conflicts with an existing reservation or the Google account used to create the reservation was not the account registered with the MSE Lab (see note above). Click on the event on your personal Google calendar and delete the event to remove the invalid reservation from the instrument calendar. Invalid reservations will not conflict with new reservation attempts, however to avoid confusion and clutter do not leave invalid reservations on the instrument calendar.

Making Changes

To change or cancel an instrument reservation, make the desired changes to the corresponding event on your personal Google calendar and the changes will automatically be reflected on the instrument calendar.