Google: Secondary and Resource Calendar Comparison

Environment

 U-M Google Calendar, secondary calendars, resource calendars

Issue

• What is a secondary (event/group) calendar in Google Calendar?
• What is a resource calendar?
• How can I tell whether my calendar is a secondary or resource calendar?

Resolution

Secondary calendars

• A secondary calendar is any calendar you create or that someone else creates and shares with you in Google.
  • Secondary calendars are sometimes referred to as event, group, or shared calendars.
  • Common secondary calendar examples include departmental vacation or on-call rotation calendars.
• Secondary calendars have a single dedicated owner. The calendar creator automatically becomes the owner.
• Secondary calendar ownership can be transferred to another individual within U-M Google. Refer to Google: Transfer Ownership of a Calendar You Own for more information.
• We recommend creating secondary calendars using a Google Shared Account instead of an individual account.
  • Calendars owned by an individual account are deleted when that person leaves the university and is no longer affiliated.

Resource calendars

• Resource calendars are created for reserving physical resources.
  • They can be booked using the Rooms section in a Google Calendar invite.
  • Common resource calendar examples include conference rooms or loaner laptops.
• Resource calendars can only be created by ITS. To request a resource calendar, visit the Google at U-M Request Form and select Request a new Google Resource Calendar.
  • The U-M Google team will handle requests to create new resource calendars during regular weekday business hours.
• For more information on managing resource calendar permissions, refer to Google: Manage Resource Calendar Permissions.

Resource naming standards

These standards apply to both room and non-room (e.g., loaner laptop) resources. ITS will request that you provide this information so we can set the name appropriately.

Building Name - Floor - Unit Name - Resource Name (Room Capacity, if applicable)

E.g., Arbor Lakes - 1 - ITS - Room 1412 (12)

This is based on Google's recommended room naming convention.

• Prefix Information
• Active Directory Prefixes Table

Determine if your calendar is secondary or a resource

There are two ways to determine whether a Google Calendar is a secondary or resource calendar.

Method 1: Check its sharing permissions

1. Go to U-M Google Calendar.
2. Hover over the applicable calendar in the left navigation sidebar and click the three-dots icon.
3. Select Sharing (or Settings and sharing).
4. Look for an individual with the Owner role assigned under the "Shared with" section.
   • If someone has the Owner role assigned, it's a secondary calendar.
   • If no one has the Owner role, then it's a resource calendar.
   • If you can't find the "Shared with" section, you do not have the appropriate permissions to view the calendar's ownership and sharing settings. If that's the case, refer to Method 2 below.

Method 2: Check its calendar ID

A calendar's type is always displayed in its associated calendar ID.

1. Go to U-M Google Calendar.
2. Hover over the applicable calendar in the left navigation sidebar and click the three-dots icon.
3. Select Sharing (or Settings and sharing).
4. Scroll to the "Integrate calendar" section and view the Calendar ID listed there.
   • If the ID ends in @group.calendar.google.com, it is a secondary calendar.
   • If the ID ends in @resource.calendar.google.com, it is a resource calendar.

Additionally, resource calendars are for "resources" such as rooms or physical items and will usually have a standard naming scheme to indicate where they're located. This helps differentiate between the types of calendars, too.

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.