Stardew Valley created by ConcernedApe.
Images used for educational purposes only.
Main Walkthrough

Every small town community needs its bastion of knowledge, and in Stardew Valley that’s the Stardew Valley Museum & Library. Open every day from 8 am to 6 pm and watched by Gunther, the Museum & Library is a more important area than it initially seems, and you’ll spend an awful lot of time going back and forth from this place.

The Museum & Library, predictably enough, serves two functions.

Wriggle wriggle.

Library

While wandering around Stardew Valley you’ll occasionally see little wriggling worms poking out of the ground. They appear at random on just about every outdoor screen each day, and will respawn the next day. If you use the Hoe on these spots you’ll get random items, and these items can include Lost Books. 

So long as you have at least one spot in your inventory, Lost Books are sent straight to the Library. There you can read them for various hints and tips on every facet of Stardew Valley, including a variety of otherwise well-hidden secrets. It takes about a second to collect these Books, so it’s wise to always dig up worms when you spot ‘em.


Museums Donation Rewards

The section of this building that Gunther controls is the Museum. When you first arrive at the Museum & Library, likely as part of the quest Archaeology, Gunther will ask you to go looking for Artifacts and Minerals. Find one of either and you can display it on the Museum’s empty tables, on the right side of the building. Giving Gunther these items will rob you of their monetary value…

… but he’ll make up for it by gifting you with precious items, many of which are unique to the Museum. You’ll get rewards for every five items you donate, and every now and then you’ll get unique gifts for rarer acquisitions / combinations of donations.

I've seen a few lists that have varying rewards. Consequently, I have no idea how right or wrong the information below is just yet. Rest assured that you'll get this stuff by collecting Minerals and Artifacts - you might just get them in a different order. (Most of this stuff is aesthetic anyway.)

Donation Rewards
  • Five - Nine Cauliflower Seeds
  • Ten - Nine Melon Seeds
  • Fourteen - Standing Geode (might also be from Malachite, I’m not positive)
  • Fifteen - Starfruit Seeds
  • Twenty - ‘A Night on Eco-Hill’
  • Twenty-Five - ‘Jade Hills’
  • Twenty-Eight - Singing Stone (or maybe just Jagoite)
  • Thirty - Lg. Futan Bear
  • Thirty-Five - Flute Block
  • Forty - Rarecrow
  • Forty-Four - ‘Burnt Offering’ (possibly also from Dwarf Artifact)
  • Forty-Five - Skeleton, Sloth Skeleton M (these may also come from donating the Prehistoric Vertebra, or from donating the Vertebra and the Prehistoric Rib - I get the feeling the Prehistoric pieces result in the Sloth Skeleton M)
  • Forty-Six - Obsidian Vase (possibly Bixite)
  • Fifty - Bear Statue
  • Fifty-Five - Rarecrow
  • Sixty - Rusty Key (Gunther shows up at your farm the next day)
  • Sixty-Five - Rarecrow
  • Seventy - Crystalarium
  • All Four Dwarf Scrolls - Dwarvish Translation Guide
  • Geminite - Crystal Chair
  • Ancient Drum - Drum Block
  • Ancient Seed - Ancient Seed, Ancient Seed Recipe
  • Chicken Statue - Chicken Statue
  • Complete Collection - Stardrop
Main Walkthrough