Stig Ekelöfs Library – special collection about the history of electricity
Stig Ekelöf's library, which since 1991 has been one of the special collections at Chalmers' main library, has been created through Professor Stig Ekelöf's systematic collection of books and reprints on electricity and magnetism for more than 40 years. The collection, previously located at the Institute of Electric History, comprises 150 shelf meters with over 6,000 volumes and small prints - original works, facsimile reproductions and copies. The oldest original work is William Gilbert's book from the 17th century on magnetism, in Latin.
In addition to electricity and magnetism, the main subjects in the collection, there are also books in a more general history of technology and science. The collection is catalogued partly on catalogue cards in the library and partly in book form. The latest, "Catalog of Books and Papers in Electricity and Magnetism", was published in 1991 and is much more than "just" a catalogue - in 640 pages the book provides both bibliographic data regarding the collection's content and short biographies of a large number of scientists and engineers. The book is written by Stig Ekelöf.
Stig Ekelöf (1904–1993), professor at the Chalmers University of Technology in the subject of Electrical Engineering and Electrical Measurement Technology 1943-1970, became interested in books in the late 1940s dealing with experiments and theory of electrical and magnetic phenomena. The interest was expanded over the years to include technology history in general and electricity history in particular. During his time as emeritus, after 1970, he devoted much time to expanding his book collection and giving lectures on the subject of Electric History, an activity that inspired the construction of the Work Unit for Technology History, today the Department of Technology Economics and Organization at Chalmers. Stig Ekelöf has also compiled the book Technology for 150 years, which was published at Chalmers University of Technology's 150th anniversary in 1979.
Books from Stig Ekelöf's library can be serached for and ordered via a scanned card catalogue.
