Mukwonago librarian honored; Native American artifacts returned to tribes
MUKWONAGO, Wis. - Thousands of Native American artifacts were not checked out at a Mukwonago library. They were bought or stolen decades ago. Now, one librarian's efforts to return those artifacts to tribes have earned her praise.
There are thousands of books at the Mukwonago Community Library. But there is only one unique story that has kept Library Director Abby Armour busy since her first day on the job.
Hidden in the archives are boxes and boxes of actual history. The library has a collection of 12,400 Native American artifacts.
"It is non-fiction come to life," Armour said.
Armour said the library did not even know it was responsible for them until a nearby museum called three years ago with questions. The artifacts were willed to the library by a local collector back in the mid-1960s.
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"Some of those items were removed from graves. At the time, that was considered common. Now we know that’s very disrespectful," Armour said.
Abby Armour
That is why Armour and her staff have worked tirelessly to catalog and identify as many as they can – and return them to their respective tribes.
According to the American Library Assocation (ALA), the Mukwonago library is the first in Wisconsin and only the third in the United States to repatriate belongings through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Armour's work caught the attention of her patrons and library board who then nominated her for ALA's 2025 "I Love My Librarian" award. Out of 1,300 nominations throughout the country, only ten were chosen.
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"I like to use this opportunity to encourage other public libraries to look at their collection and engage in this process," Armour said. "It’s doing the right thing."
Abby Armour
Armour will be formally recognized at an ALA event in January. She also gets a $5,000 cash prize.