Nina Mason Pulliam Indianapolis Special Collections Room

Coordinates: 39°46′42″N 86°9′24″W / 39.77833°N 86.15667°W / 39.77833; -86.15667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Nina Mason Pulliam Indianapolis Special Collections Room is a

special collection of the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States.

The collection contains a variety of adult and children's materials, fiction and nonfiction books by local authors, photographs, scrapbooks, typescripts, manuscripts, autographed editions, letters, newspapers, magazines, and regalia. The collection features materials related to Kurt Vonnegut, May Wright Sewall, the Woollen family, James Whitcomb Riley, and Booth Tarkington. It is named for philanthropist Nina Mason Pulliam and is housed on the sixth floor of the Central Library.[1]

Nina Mason Pulliam

The special collections and room at Central Library are named in honor of

the Society of Professional Journalists.[3][4][5]

Mural

A new mural has been installed in the Indianapolis Special Collections Room on the Sixth Floor of Central Library. The artist Tom Torluemke has given it the working title, The Book of Life: The People We Know, the Experiences We Have, and the Conditions under Which We Live. More information and photographs of this mural can be found at http://www.indypl.org/readersconnection/?p=1058

  • Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room Sign
    Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room Sign
  • Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room October 2007
    Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room October 2007
  • Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room - Reading Room October 2007
    Nina Mason Pulliam Special Collections Room - Reading Room October 2007

Featured collections

The Indianapolis Collection contains materials relating to Indianapolis history and the Indianapolis 500, including city directories, church histories, college and high school yearbooks, biographies, theater programs, and audio-visual materials.

The Indianapolis Authors collection of first editions of Meredith Nicholson, James Whitcomb Riley, Booth Tarkington, and others also has a variety of items beyond books.

  • The Kurt Vonnegut Collection consists of many signed first editions in foreign languages as well as representative artwork. In addition, there are over forty loose magazines that carry his articles and stories over the years and copies of screenplays for two works (Slaughter House Five and Slapstick).
  • The James Whitcomb Riley Collection has letters, photographs of his last public appearance, his college diploma, and unpublished recordings of him reading his own poetry.
  • The Meredith Nicholson Collection contains letters and manuscripts.
  • The Booth Tarkington Collection holds an original manuscript of Kate Fennigate, typed pages showing corrections, and the final typed copy of the book.[1]

The Children’s Literature Collection contains about 2,000 volumes, ranging from Indiana authors, illustrated editions, some award-winning titles, and a variety of historical materials such as prominent Indianapolis children's authors Eth Clifford, Mabel Leigh Hunt, Jean Brown Wagoner, and Guernsey Van Riper.[1]

The Fine Printing Collection began with a substantial gift by G. Harvey Petty. Over the years additional items have been added to this collection, not only of examples of fine printing, but also of works about typography and the history of fine printing. A number of examples of local private printing are included, including those from the Grabhorn Press (originally the Studio Press) and Press of the Indiana Kid.[1]

The Cookbook and Menu Collection was a gift from the family of Mr. Wright Marble, a local collector. The original donation included a number of 17th and 18th century English and Italian works, along with German, some Oriental, French, English and United States books published in the 19th century. The oldest title in the collection was published in 1542. Other locally published titles have been added over time. Another collector, Arthur H. Rumpf, donated a collection of approximately 100 historic menus, including those from railroad dining cars, hotels, and testimonial-recognition dinners. Local menus have been added over the years.[1]

The Library also offers free access to digital versions of valuable, fragile, and hard-to-use Indianapolis Special Collections Room originals in the Indianapolis Public Library Digital Archives.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Central to Our History: Indianapolis Special Collections Room, n.d., brochure, Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library.
  2. .
  3. ^ a b "University Honors & Awards: Honoree: Nina mason Pulliam". Indiana University. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  4. ^ McFarland, p. 93.
  5. ^ "Biography Nina Mason Pulliam". Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Retrieved January 22, 2017.

External links

39°46′42″N 86°9′24″W / 39.77833°N 86.15667°W / 39.77833; -86.15667