Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu (National Library of Estonia)
Great work with IIIF is happening in Estonia, and some forthcoming implementations will make even more Estonian content available via IIIF. After my visit to the National Library of Finland, I was able to pay a visit to some of our IIIF-C partners in Tallinn, Estonia. My first stop was a visit to the Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu (National Library of Estonia). Greete Veesalu and Urmas Sinisalu of the National Library invited me to give a IIIF presentation to National Library and National Archives staff on September 22. The presentation was attended by about 15 staff that came from across various units of the National Library and the National Archives. A highlight for me was that the meeting was held in the National Library building that has been under renovation since mid-2021. Staff are just now starting to move back into the building which is slated for a grand reopening in May 2027.
Along with Greete Veesalu and Urmas Sinisalu, I had a chance to meet with Martin Öövel (Director General of the National Library). We had a good conversation about the importance of presenting Estonian heritage to the world and the importance of digital, facilitated by IIIF in the delivery of that heritage. I was then treated to a tour of the newly renovated (but not yet occupied) library spaces by Mari Kannusaar. It was great to see the newly renovated spaces and, with Mari’s help, envision how it will turn into a truly 21st century library serving the people of Estonia. During my visit, palettes of books were still in shrink wrap awaiting their return to the shelves and library staff were busy fitting out future reading rooms.
Tallinna Ülikool
The following day, September 23, I participated in a special seminar at Tallinna Ülikool (Tallinn University) organized by Hembo Pagi and Marek Tamm (Tallinn University). The seminar, How Cultural Heritage Organisations are Taking Advantage of IIIF Collections and Applications in their Daily Work featured, in addition to my presentation, examples of Estonian IIIF implementations. Funding for the seminar was provided by the DIGHT-Net project, Sustainable, Usable and Visible Digital Cultural Heritage: Twinning for Excellence, supported by the Horizon Europe Twinning programme. The in-person seminar was attended by about 17 people and included staff from the National Library and National Archives, students and faculty of the university (library, film studies, humanities), Eesti Kunstiakadeemia (Estonian Academy of Arts, Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum (The Estonian Literary Museum), and staff from the Muinsuskaitseamet (National Heritage Board).
Great thanks to Greete Veesalu (National Library) and Hembo Pagi (Tallinn University) for organizing the Tallinn meetings and the introductions to their colleagues.