The library will close Wednesday, November 27th at 5 pm and stay closed Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving

Memorial Hall Library

Elect to Connect 2020

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Memorial Hall Library is offering a year of opportunities for all ages to spend time away from screens and digital devices. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, the New York Times bestselling book by Cal Newport, will guide us. Many of us read books on digital devices, but spending too much time on social media, news updates, gaming and surfing the internet can drain internal resources and rob us of valuable time.

crossword grid

Unwind with a
crossword puzzle!

book pile

Connect with
great books!

We hope you will consider taking a pledge to join us on this yearlong journey. The goals can be whatever you decide. We hope to help you find ways to take charge of your time and to explore connecting with yourself, your creativity, your family and your community. We’ll provide ways to connect with books and other readers, nature, the arts, neighborhood volunteer opportunities, and a wide array of health, wellness, mindfulness and craft programs.

We invite you to join us in pledging the following:

I will participate in MHL's yearlong Elect to Connect 2020 journey with the goal of living a fulfilling life.

Check out upcoming adult programs here.

some reading suggestions to help you connect

Digital Minimalism Books

Digital minimalism : choosing a focused life in a noisy world
Digital minimalism : choosing a focused life in a noisy world
by Cal Newport

A Georgetown University computer scientist outlines a minimalist approach to technology involving a radical reduction of personal online time as part of a healthy lifestyle choice to render technology the tools of humans, not the other way around.
24/6 : the power of unplugging one day a week
24/6 : the power of unplugging one day a week
by Tiffany Shlain

Internet pioneer and renowned filmmaker Tiffany Shlain takes us on a provocative and entertaining journey through time and technology, introducing a strategy for living in our 24/7 world: turning off all screens for twenty-four hours each week. This practice, which she’s done for nearly a decade with her husband and kids (sixteen and ten), has completely changed their lives, giving them more time, productivity, connection, and presence.
Unplug : a simple guide to meditation for busy skeptics and modern soul seekers
Unplug : a simple guide to meditation for busy skeptics and modern soul seekers
by Suze Yalof Schwartz

A spiritual entrepreneur and founder/CEO of a popular LA-based meditation studio offers a no-nonsense approach to unplugging from the chaos of our lives for just minutes a day though meditation, which can make us happier, healthier, more effective, and even smarter.
How to break up with your phone : the 30-day plan to take back your life
How to break up with your phone : the 30-day plan to take back your life
by Catherine Price

Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up -- and then make up -- with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You'll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive and how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You'll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will enable you to take back control of your life -- both on your phone and off.
How to not always be working : a toolkit for creativity and radical self-care
How to not always be working : a toolkit for creativity and radical self-care
by Marlee Grace

Interspersed with business anecdotes as well as the author’s own personal stories, this creative manifesto for living better is filled with practical advice, wisdom, and resilience for curbing obsessions and building boundaries between work and life by breaking free from our devices and focusing on what's really important.
Deep work : rules for focused success in a distracted world
Deep work : rules for focused success in a distracted world
by Cal Newport

Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite.
L'art de la liste : simplify, organise and enrich your life
L'art de la liste : simplify, organise and enrich your life
by Dominique Loreau

The humble list has the power to change your life.  Dominique Loreau turns her attentions to better list-making, showing you how to organize them and use them intelligently.  Taking you on a step-by-step journey to greater productivity, this practical, inspiring book influences every aspect of your life.
The things you can see only when you slow down : how to be calm and mindful in a fast-paced world
The things you can see only when you slow down : how to be calm and mindful in a fast-paced world
by Hyemin

A spiritual leader whose teachings transcend religions and borders, divisions of class and age, presents a timely guide to mindfulness that shows how important it is for us to slow down in our fast-paced world and reminds us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down.
Silence in the age of noise
Silence in the age of noise
by Erling Kagge

A compact meditation on the role of silence in a creative life contrasts silence to the constant distracting noises of today's connected world while describing the experiences of fellow poets, artists and explorers as well as his personal experiments during a 50-day solo walk in Antarctica without radio contact.
Sharenthood : why we should think before we talk about our kids online
Sharenthood : why we should think before we talk about our kids online
by Leah A. Plunkett

In this incisive book, Leah Plunkett examines the implications of "sharenthood"--adults' excessive digital sharing of children's data.  She outlines the mistakes adults make with kids' private information, the risks that result, and the legal system that enables "sharenting."  She proposes a "thought compass" to guide adults in their decision making about chidlren's digital data: play, forget, connect, and respect.
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