The L. E. Jones Collection consists of mechanical calculating instruments such as slide rules, abaci, and mechanical calculators. This began as the private collection of Professor L. E. Jones (d. June 23rd 1999), who taught of applied physics at the University of Toronto from 1936 to 1944 and Mechanical Engineering from 1944 to 1975. The collection was donated by Professor Jones’ heirs to the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology.
Unlike other U of T collections, this collection represents a category of artefacts rather than a particular institutional history. Newly donated artefacts have been added to the collection when they fit the theme, even if they are not linked to the University of Toronto. In 2011, for instance, Professor Trevor Levere of the IHPST donated a Curta mechanical calculator and a second arithmometer. In 2017, the University of Toronto Archive provided a Walther mechanical calculator.