Small museums often struggle with the cost burden of technology and its many upgrades. Google offers a variety of products that make collaboration, productivity, sustainability, and cost savings a breeze. This session provided a brief overview of some of the products most relevant to museum work, as well as short demonstrations.
2. Erin E. Anderson
● Principal, Museology Exhibits & Programs
○ Exhibit planning and design
○ Fabrication & installation
○ Educational programming
○ Collections management
○ Grant writing
○ Research
● 2012 James A. Clark Digital Outreach
Fellow, Smithsonian National Museum of
American History
● 2012 Smithsonian EdLab Education
Innovator
3. What is Google Apps?
● Apps = applications
● "Cloud-based productivity suite"
○ No physical server to store on-site
○ Similar tools to Microsoft Office, Open Office, or
Apple iWork
● Allows you to work from anywhere, on any
device
● Multiple people can work on the same
project at the same time in different locations
● Most commonly used apps are Gmail,
Calendar, and Drive
5. Google Apps for Nonprofits
Eligibility requirements:
● Hold current 501(c)3 status
● Acknowledge and agree to the requirements regarding
nondiscrimination and donation receipt and use
6. Setting Up a Google
Account
● Access a variety of products:
○ Gmail
○ YouTube
○ Google+
○ Picasa
○ Google Play
○ Calendar
○ Docs
○ Blogger
○ Google Sites
○ Analytics
○ Voice
20. What is Google Docs?
● Free web-based office suite and
data storage service
● Enables collaboration
● Popular for its accessibility
● Colorful presence markers
● Edit simultaneously from different
locations
● Document translation
● Revision history and ability to revert to earlier versions
● Built-in chat feature
● Upload and convert a Word document
● Download as Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF, HTML, or zip
24. What is Google Sheets?
● Online spreadsheet app
● Similar functionality as Microsoft Excel
● Simultaneously work with other people
● Import and convert Excel files
● Export Excel, .csv, and .txt formatted files
● Create charts
● Embed spreadsheets and charts on your
blog or website
● Auto-save every few seconds
● Create spreadsheets from templates
29. What is Calendar?
● Free, web-based time management app
● Features
○ Share your calendar
○ Get your calendar on the go
○ Schedule reminders
○ Send invitations and track RSVPs
○ Syncs with desktop applications
○ Offline access
34. What is Google Sites?
● Free website-building tool
● Features are similar to other Google products
● Fully customizable templates or create your
own from scratch
● No need to learn HTML coding
● Automatically adjusts for viewing on mobile
phones or tablet computers
● Permission settings allow for different levels
of access
● Upload documents, videos, photos, charts,
calendars, etc. easily
40. Google Apps is NOT Microsoft Office
● Microsoft Office
○ Publisher
○ Outlook
○ PowerPoint
○ Some compatability issues with Office products
● Server/Internet downtime
● Lack of control
● Storage limits
● Latency
● Privacy risks associated with cloud-based
storage