My Free Nov. 18 Webinar on Building Custom Google Maps

Do you like to travel? Are you one of my fellow historians and genealogists? Join me on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 for this FREE hands-on workshop learning how build custom Google Maps.

This workshop introduces GIS (Geographic Information System) concepts through hands-on exercises focused on a FUN, common, everyday information need, travel planning. I heavily use custom Google Maps for my genealogy research and for collaborative travel planning with my husband. We will use Google My Maps, a cloud-based “GIS light” platform that allows you to create and design custom digital maps build on top of Google Maps. Participants will use sandbox data provided by the instructor so they can focus on learning the tool and concepts instead of having to also find and prepare their own data for the exercises.

I am teaching this workshop for my day job university as part of my Digital Scholarship Librarian work but it is also open to the general public. You can review the learning outcomes and additional details by visiting this web page on my work library website.

(Workshop) Building Custom Google Maps

• Date & Time: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 (2:00 – 3:30 pm Pacific)
  • 1 hour of instruction and exercises
  • 30 minutes of extra Q&A time
• Format: Webinar on Zoom (pre-register for the Zoom link)
  • The workshop will not be recorded.
• Registration: Free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required.
• Requirements: A Google account and a computer (not just a mobile device).

Example Maps

This is the type of map my husband and I regularly create anytime we plan a vacation. It is from our 2017 vacation to Spain and around the Iberian Peninsula. We do this for major vacations, weekend getaways, or even activity-filled day trip up to Los Angeles.

This is a map I am working on now, mapping all locations found in archival U.S. military records that document where and when my grandfather served in the U.S. Navy during and after World War II.

This view shows the descriptive information I provided for the feature (the pin or marker) that designates where and when my grandfather joined up with the crew of the U.S.S. Mervine in Okinawa, Japan.