Great Barrington Library Trustees Vote to Return Indigenous Artifacts, Adopt Book Policy

GREAT BARRINGTON — October 13, 2022 — Great Barrington Library Trustees voted unanimously to begin returning a 19th-century collection of indigenous artifacts to the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. The collection, donated to Mason Library by local historian Charles J. Taylor (1824-1904), includes arrowheads and other indigenous materials gathered during research on Great Barrington's history in the late 1800s; a portion sits in a glass display case on the library's main floor, with additional materials boxed in the basement. Library Director Samara Pratt-Heaney said the library will contact tribal historic preservation manager Bonnie Hartley to determine how the tribe wishes the process to proceed, following federal repatriation law, while staff member Talia creates a digital photographic archive of the collection. In a separate 5-0 vote, trustees also adopted a new collection development policy, citing a sharp national rise in book-banning challenges targeting children's and young adult titles; the policy includes a formal reconsideration process for challenged materials and a patron form to recommend additions to the collection. The Friends of the Library reported a $1,500 gift from the family of Dale and Allison Abrams and a $1,000 Lee Bank renewal for the children's book giveaway program.