The purchase and installation of climate control equipment, a security system, new lighting, and exhibition cases to ensure that the memorabilia and manuscript collections at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library (KVML) are preserved and secure.

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (KVML) requests support to purchase and install crucial collections care and security systems and updates for their facility. KVML champions the writer Kurt Vonnegut through the operation of a museum and through humanities programs. KVML has a large collection of memorabilia related to Vonnegut, including his typewriter, his Purple Heart, letters, and family photographs. Unfortunately, KVML’s collection is not stored in ideal preservation conditions. Through this project, KVML will make crucial updates to the 10,000 square foot building it owns, specifically: installing UV film; purchasing and installing a security system; replacing two HVAC units; replacing EIFS; transitioning to LED lighting; replacing the roof; and installing humidity-controlled exhibit cases and storage cases. These changes will ensure future generations have the opportunity to visit KVML and learn about the historical context and literary merit of Kurt Vonnegut’s work.

Planning a permanent exhibition and the expansion of an existing traveling exhibition exploring the impact of Kurt Vonnegut and his seminal novel Slaughterhouse-Five.

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (KVML), a 501c(3) nonprofit in Indianapolis, Indiana requests $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities Exhibitions Planning Grant to develop a preliminary design, script, marketing plan, and evaluation plan for “Unstuck in Time: Slaughterhouse-Five Then and Now,” a new permanent exhibition. KVML is the only organization dedicated to championing the legacy of Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut and the principles of free expression, common decency, and peaceful coexistence he championed. “Unstuck in Time” explores Kurt Vonnegut’s most widely-read novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, and will include a traveling exhibition that will increase the reach of “Unstuck in Time.”

The purchase of storage furniture, environmental monitoring equipment, and staff training in storage techniques and use of the environmental monitors. The collection, which pertains to Kurt Vonnegut’s career, includes 70 first editions of the author’s novels, 25 signed copies, Vonnegut family photographs, approximately 500 volumes representing Vonnegut’s personal library, and assorted memorabilia. Particularly notable are the objects and ephemera associated with Vonnegut’s years as a soldier and prisoner of war, of note to researchers interested in the relationship of World War II and its aftermath with art, literature, and journalism.

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library (KVML) honors the legacy of author Kurt Vonnegut and the principles of free expression, common decency, and peaceful coexistence he advocated. KVML operates a small museum in Indianapolis and presents special collections pertaining to Vonnegut’s life and works. The museum hosts approximately 15,000 visitors a year. However, before 2016, KVML did not have a preservation plan for its extensive collection of Vonnegut memorabilia, including first edition texts, artifacts from Vonnegut’s life, and cultural items from the projects Vonnegut inspired. Thanks to a NEH Preservation Grant, KVML has received an on-site assessment from a collections expert and is implementing its recommendations. This project aims to further the organization’s collection preservation through funding for storage furniture and environmental monitoring equipment. Preserving the collections housed by KVML is essential to preserving Vonnegut’s legacy.