The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

There’s no place in Indianapolis I’d rather «waste» time on my own… of course, it’s Indianapolis, so competition is not exactly what one would call robust… Not complaining, just ballparking for folks generating significant mileage for a visit…
For fans of KV, you’ll get a deep breath or two glancing over KV letters, model office, and a small collection of his items. But really, it’s more about the spirit than the articles, at least IMHO. Of course, one of the easy-​to-​assume-​to-​default-​to-​cheesy custom painted quotes (oi, you can just hear the Pinterest boards bending under the strain… What? What do you mean that’s not how that works???) hit me like a loaf of «And that’s the *rest* of the story…» so, admittedly, my judgment is biased.
Anyway, I took a lot more than 10 minutes to get my fill, though that appears to be the baseline reccy, but it wasn’t a whole day visit, either.
ETA: it doesn’t really make a great combo visit with my kid-​oriented Indy favorite: the Children’s Museum, unless your kiddos are older and/​or fairly precocious readers…

Tiny, but big on character the KVML is. You can mosey in and out in 10 minutes, even after the quirky docent-​led tour. They had some neat artifacts and exhibits, as well as a cool selection of KV memorabilia.

Best little museum in town! Love the mission, programs, vibe, and people. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to visit, type on Kurt’s typewriter, and browse the timeline and artwork, do yourself a favor and go!

I love everything about this library: the changing collections, the art, the great tours by the curator, Chris, and the awesome little gift shop. It may not be large, but it for being so small it packs a punch. It’s a must for fans of the author and Hoosier literature. I think Kurt would be proud of this establishment, it’s classy, informative, innovative, and damn delightful.

It’s free. It’s tiny. You only need 30 mins to see it. They have his typewriter and some of his artwork. There are tribute pieces. Timelines. Some of his old articles and letters. A room set up to resemble his. A good gift shop. Worth a visit, especially for any Vonnegut fan.

Its a great little place, I’m a member and could not be happier. First time I went in to the library I spent around an hour just exploring and talking to the friendly staff.
It’s very colorful and you can write on a typewriter that is the same type as Vonnegut used. Which are then posted on their twitter account.
Overall, you’ve got to visit this place. A++

As a huge Vonnegut fan, when we decided to go to Indianapolis for a weekend, I knew this would be a great place to visit!
This is much more of a museum than a reading library– so go expecting that– lots of great Vonnegut letters, art, and trinkets.
The guide was so helpful and knowledgable and fun to talk to– make sure you let him give you his short tour, it will really enrich the experience.
I really loved all of the Vonnegut inspired art– it really added to the whole experience and was a fun element I didn’t expect.

«The America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.» — Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
The Vonnegut museum is closed on Wednesdays… maybe. We stopped by last Wednesday, looked at the hours posted on the door, and saw that it was closed. But before we could depart, Julia (the executive director of the library) saw us, opened the door, and pretty much dragged us inside to give us a very enthusiastic tour, all the while apologizing for being hurried.
If the warm welcome wasn’t enough, the content and mission of the library would be enough to win me over. Besides offering a shrine for Vonnegut, complete with photos, videos, artwork and other memorabilia, the library offers readings, workshops for teachers, student scholarships, banned books week events, speakers, and other events. This is a special place.

Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is a great place to learn more about his life and his literature. The library is free and will accept donations. The guide was very knowledgable about Mr. Vonnegut. The Library lets you take pictures and they let you sit in a replica of Kurt Vonnegut’s study area. Kurt Vonnegut Library had lots of funny quotes, his drawings, and humor which makes his life more interesting. Even though the memorial library is small I really had a great time learning about Kurt Vonnegut. The gift shop has a great variety of different products.

Fabulous boutique museum/​library with lovely memorabilia. Especially love the items in the shop– great quotes and tributes to KV. And off the once thriving Indiana Avenue in a lovely historic building, The Emelie. Great article on
. Book club meets here also. Cool spot.

For our 24^th anniversary, we were looking for a little weekend getaway. We ended up in Indy because the wife saw an ad for the KV Mem Library. Since I’m a big fan, and had the good fortune to meet KV in 2004, had to check this out. Ended up at the Residence Inn literally around the corner from this place.
It’s not really a library so much as a museum. But if you’re a KV fan, this place is essential. Some nice signed pieces, his actual typewriter, some great videos (including of KV’s good friend Morley Safer telling some KV stories). You can buy anything Kurt ever wrote, and view some wildly obscure pieces on him (eg. a picture of him from a high school play, a picture of the wagon he and his fellow soldiers commandeered in Dresden, a Nazi sword he acquired in Germany, among other items). They have in a case an unopened letter to Kurt from his dad from WW II (there’s a lovely story attached to that). There’s a variety of art, by KV and about him.
It’s also decorated with KV quotes, and lots of bits from devotees.
We picked up a few things in the very excellent gift shop. But the HIGHLIGHT of the visit was Chris, one of the curators, who is extremely knowledgeable on Kurt. He told some excellent stories, and pointed out some great bits and pieces. He alone made the visit worthwhile. My wife knew this stop was going to be THE high point of an already great trip (Indy is full of memorials, museums, good eating, and a great downtown).
The location, the space, the materials for viewing, the gift shop, and the people running it, these are all excellent reasons for visiting this amazing little spot. If you are a Vonnegut fan, it is truly essential.

Not a whole lot in there, but it’s well presented, and it’s free. There’s a decent little gift shop, and you can purchase any book the guy ever wrote. The fella working there when I was in last week was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable. I don’t know if it’s worth going to if you’re not a fan of KV, but even if you’ve only read a book or two and just think he’s pretty good (like me), then it’ll be worth your while.

This tiny little library/​museum is packed w/​a lot of soul. A mixture of Vonnegut artwork and artifacts. And an actual library that locals may borrow from, shelves filled with the absolute best in literature.
The staff is great, they will walk you around and give you a tour and share interesting stories from Vonnegut’s life. We were probably only in there for 20 minutes, but it was a very worthwhile experience. I’m glad we stopped by! It is free entry, but there is a tip jar if you feel so inclined.

We stopped in on a recent trip to Indianapolis. It’s a very small library, but the staff are awesome and will give you a personal tour if you ask. They have a bunch of great pieces including Kurt’s original typewriter and a replica of his workspace.
They also have a cool little gift shop where you can fill in the blanks in your Vonnegut collection.

«Ahhhhhhhhh,» said Vonnegut’s ghost when he saw this sanctuary built for him. This is a must see for locals and tourists. The combination of Vonnegut writing, Vonnegut art and his keepsakes (A NAZI SWORD!), art inspired by him & a recreation of his writing space… makes it a unique museum.
Morley Safer makes an appearance — in HD Morley has just as amazing eyebrows as Rooney.
The recreation of Vonnegut’s writing space is fun. But, man, if he really wrote in the chair they have for him… I don’t see how he didn’t have serious back pain.
Check the rad typewriter shirt for sale!
And yeah… a nazi sword (that Vonnegut took from Germany — off a dead man?). Yeah. Nazi Sword.

I wasn’t sure if it was worth stopping in at the Vonnegut Library in my short time in Indianapolis. Nothing I could find said it was anything more than a library (it was still pretty new when I was in town) — and, really, a plain ol’ library isn’t worth the effort. So, to answer the question: it’s a storefront sized library, but it’s not just a library, it’s definitely more of a museum. So, think of it as a small Vonnegut Museum and make sure to put some time in your itinerary to drop in.
The number of Vonnegut artifacts they have on display is minimal, but the gem of the collection is definitely the typewriter. We also liked the rejection letter collection (it’s inspiring, really). They also have some of his artwork and displays that show the time line of his life. They encourage conversation, discussion, and respectful debate. Oh, there is a library with circulating books (I think) but I didn’t partake. We did, however, take advantage of the recreation of Vonnegut’s work space (he wrote surprisingly low to the ground with a snarky quote from Henry David Thoreau in front of him). They have a working typewriter just like the one he used and encourage you to type a message.
The impression that I got at the end was that a few people who really loved Kurt Vonnegut got together and said, hey, we should make a place to serve as a tribute to him. The result is very personal and it’s nice to join in their reverence. Oh, and they have a great gift shop too!

It’s small, but it’s wonderful. The museum is comprised of a collection of Vonnegut artifacts (such as one of his typewriters) and original art prints, which are, of course, hilarious and moving at the same time. There is a recreation of his own library and writing space, including a typewriter open to the public to leave messages; many of which are posted on the surprisingly inspirational typewriter’s Twitter feed
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For an up-​to-​you donation, spend a half an hour or so in a space devoted to literacy, freedom of speech, and the crazy notion of humanity getting along for getting along’s sake. It’s worth your while.