on Thursday I did a short tour of the Maastricht University Special Collections: https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/resources/special-collections/
Thanks to Odin for showing us around in some nice old and newer books and stories about the history of our Library.
another collecting is a private library of Peter Debye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Debye), Nobel Prize winner, born in #Maastricht, and continously remembered with the debye unit for the electric dipole moment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debye)
There has been controversy over his work in Nazi Germany before he left for the USA in December 1939. "According to his son, Debye just wanted to do his job at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute and as long as the Nazis did not bother him was able to do so." (in Wikipedia)
this statement is as relevant as ever. Can scholars ignore the politics around them? Can they ignore the lack justice around them? the violence around them?
(we did not see this collection, but as a chemist has my interest, of course. it has been digitized)
btw, no, while born in Maastricht, he did not attend Maastricht University. Our university was founded well after his death.
(Our university will celebrate it's 50th birthday coming Friday.)
