Bakken Library and Museum is the only museum dedicated to medical electricity

Bakken Library and Museum is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The library was previously known as The Bakken: A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life and the Medtronic Museum of Electricity in Life. The library is located on the shores of Lake Calhoun and is the only library and museum that is dedicated to medical electricity. The museum aims to educate visitors, mainly scholars and young people about the history of electricity from 1200 A. D. to the present.

The Exhibits at the library are: Earl Bakken who was the inventor of the first battery-powered transistorized cardiac pacemaker. He was also cofounder of the Medtronic Museum and the founder of The Bakken Museum. Visitors are able to make a 60,000-volt spark on the Wimshurst generator or play the first electronic musical instrument the Theremin.

At Body Electric visitors will learn about the natural electricity in the human body and the electrical innovations, which help diagnose and treat disease, regulate the heart of train the brain. Visitors are able to challenge family and friends at Mindball, which is a battle of relaxation. Do experiments with magnets at the Mystery of Magnetism exhibit and learn about the relationship between electricity and magnetism.

The Electrifying Minnesota exhibit show visitors how everyday life has changed since electricity became available in homes and businesses and by one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the nation bean over 125 years ago on the Mississippi River. A 12 minute multi-media presentation will show visitors how Frankenstein's creature came to life. In the Electricity Party Room visitors are able to experience electrifying fun by using static electricity to make bells ring and confetti dance just like Ben Franklin did.

Public programs and special events are held at the library throughout the year, these include, and Super Science Saturday's where anyone can be a scienctist, inventor or engineer through hands-on science activities and experiments. During the summer the Bakken Library and the Minneapolis Aquatennial join together for the 10 Best Days of The Bakken with activities and special activities offered on these days.

The Bakken Museum's collections are located in the West Winds building, which is a 15-room Tudor Style home. The Florence Bakken Medicinal Gardens surround the West Winds building with beautiful landscaping, along with a recall of when plants were the principal tools of medical therapeutics. The gardens were first established during the Renaissance and were connected to a medical school. When the new world was discovered, new plant remedies were discovered, many of which were learnt from Native Americans. The garden was created by integrating medicinal plants which thrive in the robust climate of Minnesota with pre-existing English landscape style garden.

The exhibits at the library are interactive to help keep children interested in learning about electricity. The museum has doubled in size to 25,000 square feet including an underground vault to protect the collection and is set to a constant temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 55 percent relative humidity, the museum aims to continue to educate the community on electricity for many more years to come.