Shared Calendars and Room Resources

Introduction

Within our Microsoft Exchange environment, each user is provided with a calendar for personal use. In addition to these individual calendars, there are "special" types that can be set up. The most important types are mailboxes with shared calendars, and Room Resources.

Note: For best results, always follow our Shared Calendar Best Practices.

Mailboxes with Shared Calendars

These work exactly as if the mailbox were a person who had given someone else access to edit their calendar. To use them, follow these instructions:

Open another calendar in Outlook 365
Open another calendar in Outlook 365 for Mac
In OWA (Webmail), click Calendar on the left, then at the top, click Share>Add Calendar… Type the name of the calendar you're looking for, then click OK.

Room Resources

Room Resources are like regular shared mailboxes, but with the added feature of a "Mailbox Attendant" who can accept and reject meeting requests.

Scheduling a Room Resource

Invite the room by name to a new or existing meeting, as if it were a person.
- The meeting location will be automatically set to that room.
You can use the Scheduling Assistant to find a time when everyone is available, including the room.
The room will accept the meeting if it’s free, or reject it if there is a conflict. When the organizer sends an update, it gets sent to all recipients, including the room, which will automatically update its calendar.

Viewing a Room Resource

Room calendars can be viewed like any individual's calendar if you know the name of the room you need (e.g. DFL145); see the instructions above for how to open another user's calendar.

How to View/Add a Shared Calendar

PC

In Outlook,

1. Go to Calendar

2. Click Open Calendar (one of the icons along the top menu)

3. Select “Open shared calendar”

4. Type the name of the shared calendar (e.g. “Library staff calendar")

Mac

See instructions here.

Use Webmail to Access a Shared Account

If you need to work with more than just the calendar you can easily work with the mailbox and account rules as well using these instructions.

FAQ

How do I get a Shared Calendar or Room Resource? What information do I need to provide to make this happen?

Please contact the Helpdesk to make your request. When you do, you will need to know the following:

What should the name of the new entity be? Is there an existing shared mailbox that could be used for this purpose?
Who can make changes?
Who should be the "moderator" (with full access to resolve any conflicts should they occur)?
Who can see events others have made?
(For Rooms) What is the room capacity? This prevents the room from being overbooked according to the Fire Code.
(For Rooms, optional) Who can request to make changes that have to be approved by a moderator? If this option is in place, requests will appear on the calendar as "Tentative" until they are approved.

What if I'm having trouble scheduling meetings or appointments?

If you are having a specific problem, please contact the Helpdesk. Many common issues can be avoided by following our Outlook Calendar Best Practices.

Additional Resources

Our partner institutions have additional documentation for the following tasks:

Library & ITS Wiki