Unplug It! Challenge
It's time to go analog. Track activities that you do offline and log the hours for the chance to earn prizes!
Welcome
Tired of social media? Is your phone a dead weight in your pocket? Do you want to reclaim your creativity and attention? You're in the right place.
Vanderbilt Libraries presents the Year to Unplug, a campaign to help you get offline and get out into the real world. This initiative will focus on the core library values of literacy and community, giving students opportunities to engage deeply with books and people around them.
Upcoming Workshops
Doomscrolling Detox: Going Online with Intention: September 15th, 12 PM
Online
Work-Life Workshop is a monthly lecture series that covers a blend of self-care and professional development topics. This month's workshop, led by Kristy Roschke, Executive Director of the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies, will focus on cultivating healthy digital media habits.
Archival "Junk" Journaling with Special Collections
Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives Library, Room 108
Join VU Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) for an evening of "junk" journaling using deaccessioned (items removed from a collection) archival materials.
You might wonder why archivists decide to deaccession materials from their collections--wouldn't it be better to keep everything? During this workshop, attendees will learn about the reasons that archivists remove items from collections and will use deaccessioned archival materials to create their own "junk" journal. Compared to traditional journaling, "junk" journaling focuses on repurposing old materials and using them to create a booklet of collaged items (i.e. scrapbook, memory keeper, art journal, or diary). "Junk" journaling has no rules and is meant to be a creative way to give new life to old materials.
Archival materials will be provided for journaling, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own journal*. Light refreshments will be served.
Dumbify Your Phone: September 29th, 12 PM
Central Library, Room 418A (Author's Room)
Want to cut down on your screentime? Attend this workshop to make your phone as unappealing and utilitarian as possible. You will learn how to remove temptations from your home screen, set app time limits, and transform your smartphone from a distraction to a tool.
Tech Values Alignment: October 6th, 12 PM
Central Library, Room 418A (Author's Room)
Feeling pressured to jump on the Big Tech bandwagon? Feeling judged for not doing so? Feeling at all overwhelmed by the speed of technical advancement? Attend this workshop to take a breath and check in with yourself. In a facilitated discussion, you will learn how your tech use can either align or contradict with your values, how to navigate those intersections, and how to feel empowered to live, learn, and grow authentically.
Analog Bullet Journaling: October 27th, 12 PM
Central Library, Room 418A (Author's Room)
Want to go analog, but feel dependent on your smartphone for keeping life organized? Attend this workshop to learn about the wonders of bullet journaling and other analog organizational techniques. You'll learn how to write out a calendar, keep a to-do list, and track all your favorite (and least favorite) activities like reading, exercise, and project due dates.
Campus Book Clubs
Attend these book clubs to earn Unplug It! hours and connect with likeminded students!
KCPC Book Club
An inclusive and joyful book club meant to foster community and wellness. All are welcome!
Inclusive Book Club
This discussion is part of the Inclusive Book Group, a program that meets quarterly to discuss a specific book.
Silent Book Club
Bring your own book, audio book (be sure to bring your earbuds), reading device, or you may purchase a book to read upon your arrival.
Get in Contact
Have questions? Want to collaborate? Want to give us feedback? Contact the Year to Unplug team using our contact form.