Stanford University Libraries welcomes Estonian expats living in the Bay Area to visit Green Library on Saturday, April 26 in order to enjoy a tour of the library and its Baltic collections, and learn more about projects of collecting Estonian memory both in Stanford and Estonia.
Event program:
2:00 pm Presentation and discussion: Stanford Univer-sity Libraries’ Baltic collections and projects – Liisi Eglit, Stanford University Libraries
2:30 pm Presentation and discussion: A Survey of the Estonian Collections in the Hoover Institution Archives – David Jacobs, Hoover Institution Archives
3:00 pm Presentation and discussion: Kogu Me Lugu project – Uve Poom, UNITAS foundation; Kogu Me Lugu
3:30 pm Coffee break
4:00 pm Tour of the library
Stanford University Libraries’ Baltic collections
SUL holds over 20 000 books, periodicals and archival collections pertaining to the history and culture of the Baltic states. Since 2013, SUL has actively expanded its Baltic collections, thanks to an endowment received from Kistler-Ritso Foundation. SUL has also hired Assistant Curator for Estonian and Baltic studies, who’s goal is to expand the collections, advise students and faculty members, organize events and exhibits, and conduct collaborative projects with other organizations and institutions. More info about SUL and Baltic studies can be found https://library.stanford.edu/guides/baltic-studies.
In order to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Great Escape of 1944 this year, SUL and the Museum of Occupations in Tallinn are conducting a project of collecting Estonian expat community members’ family photo books, memoirs and life stories. Started this January, the project aims to help preserving the cultural heritage pertaining to Estonians’ journey to and life in countries outside Estonia. SUL and the museum are expecting to collect material pertaining to WWII (Soviet and German occupations, escaping from Estonia, life in DP camps) as well as the periods preceding (life in Estonia before WWII) and succeeding it (life abroad, Estonian cultural/societal activities, contacts with Estonia etc.). In addition, Estonians who have left Estonia after 1991 are welcome to send their stories. The materials can be sent via mail or electronically. One of the aims of collecting the material is making an exhibit in the future.
Estonian collections of Hoover Institution Archives
The Hoover Institution Archives has collected materials on Estonia since the early years of the country’s first period of independence. These include records pertaining to American relief activities conducted in Estonia after World War I, as well as documents relating to Estonia’s efforts to secure recognition of its sovereignty by other countries and the League of Nations. There are a number of collections that are concerned with Estonian diplomacy in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as with efforts to promote the cause of Estonian independence after the annexation of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union. Other collections document the experience of Estonians in Displaced Persons camps after World War II; there are also significant materials relating to the Cold War period and American policy concerning the status of the Baltic states under Soviet occupation. Additionally, the archives has materials concerning the emergence of a movement against Soviet rule in Estonia in the 1980s, culminating in the re-establishment of an independent Estonian state in 1991. In recent years, the archives has also acquired digital copies of files from the former Estonian SSR KGB. The Hoover Institution Archives hopes to add to its Estonian collections in the future, including materials relating to the Estonian diaspora.
What is Kogu Me Lugu?
Kogu Me Lugu (Collect Our Story, also Our Entire Story) is a network of organizations that both collect and research memory in Estonia and abroad. The goal of the network is to collaboratively collect, preserve and display memoirs and life stories of Estonian people. More info can be found on Kogu Me Lugu’s web page http://kogumelugu.ee.
In association with the Song and Dance Festival in July this year, Kogu Me Lugu is welcoming all Estonian communities outside Estonia to share their family stories and memories via video interviews. The collected material will be used to create a web portal, materials for schools and documentaries. There will be film shootings taking place July 1-10 at the Museum of Occupations in Tallinn, and everyone who is interested in participating is welcome to join in and share their story.
The event is free and open to the public. Participants are requested to register via Eventbrite: http://estonianmemory.eventbrite.com/ or by calling (650) 847-9115.
