The results of the archival projects of the Compatriots Programme financed from the 2012 State Budget and information on the accessibility of the materials

The results of the archival projects of the Compatriots Programme financed from the 2012 State Budget and information on the accessibility of the materials

Project applicant – Project theme- Project results and information on the accessibility of the materials collected throughout the project

1. Consistory of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church – Arranging the expatriate Estonian collections preserved in the archive of the Consistory of the EELC – Personal collection of Johan Kõpp (includes materials from his son Endel Juhan Kõpp) and Johannes Aarik´s private collection has been physically arranged. Both collections are accessible in the archive of the Consistory of the EELC (Kiriku plats 3, 10130 TALLINN). Contact person: Ülle Keel, tel: 627 7350.

2. Eero Kangor – Making accessible the archives of Helge Kjellin and Sten Karling, the founders of Estonian art history – Helge Kjellin´s Baltic collection preserved in the State Archives of Sweden has been reviewed, arranged and half of the archival items (the Baltic collection contains 129 boxes) have been catalogued. The archive catalogue of Helge Kjellin´s Baltic collection will be made accessible through the National Archives. The journal “Tartu ülikooli Ajaloo Küsimusi” published an article on the topic in December 2012 (Eero Kangor. Tartu Ülikooli kunstiajalooõpetuse moderniseerimisest ja kollektsioonide rollist kunstiajaloo professori valimistel aastatel 1919–1921. – Tartu Ülikooli Ajaloo Küsimusi, pp. 93-119). In 2013 Eero Kangor is going to publish an article on the same topic in the journal “Kunstiteaduslikke Uurimusi”. Contact person Eero Kangor, e-mail: eerokangor@gmail.com. Further information on the archive catalogue: National Archives of Estonia, tel: 738 7509

3. Estonian Archives in Australia – Reviewing the books preserved in the archives – In the Estonian Archives in Australia 95 shelf metres of printed matter has been reviewed with the assistance of a staff member of the Estonian Library (it has also been checked using ESTER whether sufficient number of copies is available in Estonian libraries and those published in Australia have been set aside). Fifty-two boxes of printed matter has been selected to be sent to Estonia, and of those 12 boxes arrived in the Estonian Library in 2012. Contact person: Maie Barrow, Estonian Archives in Australia, e-mail: archives@eesti.org.au and Kalju Tammaru, Estonian Library, tel: 646 5202.

4. Estonian Literary Museum – Making accessible the expatriate private collections – The printed materials of the expatriate private collections and that of Baltica/Estica (including donations from Estonians abroad) have been catalogued, classified, indexed and provided with descriptions that have been entered into the electronic catalogue ESTER. Four hundred copies of printed materials published abroad have been allocated to other libraries. Contact person: Merike Kiipus, tel: 737 7700.

5. Estonian Literary Museum – Arranging the source material of expatriate Estonian cultural history and making it accessible for the researchers; Digitization of expatriate Estonian collections and transferring them into a database – Arvo Mägi´s collection (including his sizable photo archive), a section of Rein Marandi´s collection as well as Kadi Taniloo-Tekkel´s photo collection have been arranged. The descriptions of the Estonian Committee´s large collection and those of the mixed collection of expatriate Estonians have been transferred into database ELLEN (http://galerii.kirmus.ee:8888/ellen/avaleht.do). The texts by M. Under, K. Ristikivi and H.Grabbe have been made digitally accessible. In the course of the project the photo archive of “Teataja” has been partly digitized and entered into the digital file repository KIVIKE (kivike.kirmus.ee) together with previously digitized photos from various collections. Contact person: Vilve Asmer, tel: 737 7700.

6. Estonian Literary Museum – Participation in the anniversary celebrations of the Krasnoyarsk Estonian Society, collecting heritage material among the Estonians living in the Krasnoyarsk province and making it accessible – The archive material on the Estonians living in the Krasnoyarsk province collected during the project (70 hours of sound recordings, 40 hours of video recordings, about a 1000 photos) has been arranged and is now preserved at the Estonian Literary Museum. The necessary user and spare copies have been made of the material (ERA, DH 224 -261; ERA, EV 94 – 120), old photos have been scanned and part of the sound and photo descriptions have been entered into the ELM database. Contact person: Anu Korb, tel: 737 7700.

7. Estonian Literary Museum – Harri Kiisk´s contribution to Estonian cultural history – The monograph “Harri Kiisk – the communicator of Estonian culture in Sweden” was compiled and has been published in printed form in December 2012. The e-version of the publication: http://www.folklore.ee/pubte/eraamat/rootsieesti/. Contact person: Triinu Ojamaa, tel: 737 7700.

8. Estonian Cultural Society in Canada and the Estonian Archives in Vancouver (EAV) – Cataloguing the collections of the EAV and providing access to them through BaltHerNet – The materials donated by persons of Estonian descent living in Vancouver and in the British Columbia, the reports, documents and correspondence of the Estonian organizations in Vancouver (mainly dating from 1948 to 2012) have been catalogued. Eleven series have been documented: eav1 Estonian Cultural Society in Canada; eav2 private archives; eav3 Vancouver Estonian Pensioners´ Society; eav4 Estonian House; eav5 Church foundation: eav6 C!FP; eav7 Estonian school; eav8 Union of Estonian Organizations on the Western Coast; eav9 Estonian Society; eav10 korp!FR Estica; eav11 “Läänekaare Postipoiss”. More detailed information will be made available in 2013 via web portal BaltHerNet (http://www.balther.net/). Contact person: Juta Kitching, e-mail: jkkitching@hotmail.com

9. Estonian Art Museum – Catalogue of Alur Reinans art collection – The art collection of Alur Reinans has been catalogued and provided with a detailed data collection. The catalogue data is accessible in MuIS. Contact person: Kersti Kuldna Türkson, e-mail: kersti.kuldna@ekm.ee.

10. Estonian National Museum – Digitization and description of Hans Teetlaus´ photo collection – The photo collection of Hans Teetlaus has been digitized described and made available through the information system MuIS. Hans Teetlaus´ photo collection has been marked as ERM Fk 2960:1-8761. Contact person: Riina Reinvelt, tel: 735 0400.
11. Estonian National Library – Archiving expatriate Estonian websites- 202 expatriate websites have been selected, described and archived in the Estonian web archive managed by the Estonian National Library. The collections of the Estonian web archive will be made available to the public in 2013. Meanwhile it is possible to access the materials in the National Library by making an appointment with the web archive staff. Contact person: Jaanus Kõuts, tel: 630 7611, 630 7405.

12. Estonian Studies Center – Developing the collections of the Museum of Estonians Abroad – The books collected by Estonians in Canada have been sorted and 418 boxes (5534 kg) of printed materials published abroad have been sent to the Estonian Library as well as 8 boxes with films by E.Vääri. With the permission of the donator the films have been deposited with the Film Archives where they will be digitized. In December 2012 a leaflet introducing the Museum of Estonians Abroad was published in 1000 copies. In the course of the project Asta Lokk-Parming acquired archival know-how participating in the BaltHerNet conference “Hidden treasures“. Contact person: Piret Noorhani, e-mail: piretnoorhani@gmail.com

13. Alumni Association of the Estonian Students´ Society (EÜS) – Arrangement of the archives of the expatriate organization of the Estonian Students´ Society – The majority of the archive of the EÜS Californian organization in San Francisco and its vicinity has been sent to Estonia, as well as part of the archive of the EÜS North-western organization in Seattle and the photo collection (about the activities of the EÜS North-eastern organization) of the EÜS alumnus Lembit Laasberg from Massachusetts. The materials have been partly arranged; as soon as the lists have been compiled the materials will be accessible in the Estonian Students´ Society (EÜS). Currently it is possible to access them by appointment with the project executor. The collected archive materials have already become a major source of information in compiling the publications “EÜS bibliographic lexicon” and “110 years of the EÜS building”. Contact person: Indrek Elling, e-mail: indrek.elling@gmail.com

14. Glasgow University – The Estonian library, website and memory centre in Glasgow – In the course of the project collection and study trips have been organized to the National Archives in Kew, to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Fraserburgh to record interviews with 13 Estonians living in Scotland. The website of Estonians in Scotland has been constantly updated; the material collected over the years has been made available on the website as well as current information on the Estonian activities, both in Scotland and England. In 2012 more than 150 photos, articles and documents were contributed to the archive. By participating in events for archival education and other activities, cooperation with other sections of the Estonian community in Great Britain has been developed and the results of the research on the Estonian community in Scotland have been introduced. Contact person: Lea Kreinin, e-mail: Lea.Kreinin@glasgow.ac.uk

15. Hiiumaa Museum – Making accessible the archival material of Hiiumaa expatriates – The archive of A. Sergo and that of Hiiumaa expatriates in Canada has been studied and made accessible in MuIS (the pdf files of the tables of contents have also been made accessible). Contact person: Helgi Põllo, tel: 463 2091.

16. Society of Estonians in the East – the graves and history of Estonians in the Caucasus – In the course of the project the following data has been entered into the database (http://aule.ee/ida/hauad/index.php); Caucasian cemetery Estonia – graves counted 155, listed names 84; Ülem-Linda – graves counted 199, listed names 93; Burnõi – graves counted 162, listed names 91 (+8); Perevalka – graves counted 43, listed names 43; Tsandripš – graves counted 2, listed names 2; Adler – graves counted -, listed names 3(?). The overall data available is about 1184 buried persons. New information has been gained about the condition of the following cemeteries: Alam-Linda (no access by road), Adleri, Moldovka and Nikitino (no Estonian graves). In the course of the project recollections of the Caucasian Estonians (16 interviews) on the history of the local Estonian settlements have been recorded and transcribed. The recollections about the life in the Punase- Lageda village in 1902-1925 written by August Ingermaa (1884-1969), once a resident of the village, have been digitized. Accessible at http://aule.ee/ida/kirjutised/index.html. The database of Caucasian Estonians (including many other materials and sources on the Caucasian Estonians) can be accessed on the website http://aule.ee/ida/. Contact person: Elvi Vaarmann, e-mail: Elvi.Vaarmann@tovl.edu.ee.

17. Ikoon Ltd. – Video recording and archiving the heritage material and everyday life of Siberian Setos and making a documentary based on the collected material – More than 40 hours of Siberian Setos heritage material has been recorded and a 36-minute documentary “Võidupäeva ootus Siberi Haida külas” (“Waiting for the Victory Day in the Haida village in Siberia”). The original material for the film has been handed over to the Estonian Literary Museum and the Estonian Broadcasting Company has received the film to be shown in the Estonian Television. Contact person: Vahur Laiapea, e-mail: vahur@eki.ee.

18. Kalev Kukk – Researching the life and scientific legacy of Professor Ragnar Nurkse (1907- 1959) – Unique and unknown materials on Ragnar Nurkse´s scientific path have been discovered as a result of researching Ragnar Nurse’s personal fonds in the archival library of the Princeton University, studying the materials concerning the activities of the economics, fiscal and transit department of the League of Nations and the Institute in 1945-1948 in the Archives of the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study and the materials about the League of Nations in the Princeton University Library. The bibliography of the publications by Ragnar Nurkse at the League of Nations has been compiled. The aim is to compile a thoroughly revised overview of Ragnar Nurkse´s life and scientific work based on these materials. Contact person: Kalev Kukk, e-mail: Kalev.Kukk@riigikantselei.ee

19. Marko Raat – Film archive of Edgar Vääri. Phase 1 – The bulky private film archive of cinematographer Edgar Vääri has been examined and mapped. A relationship based on trust has been established with Edgar Vääri and the work on studying the material and commenting on it with the assistance from E. Vääri has begun. The work on the documentary “With Edgar” has commenced. In the course of the project the Estonian Film Archives has received for digitization 80 hours of the estica from the 1980s and 1990s on Beta Sp cassettes. Contact person: Marko Raat, e-mail: raatmarko@hotmail.com, National Archives of Estonia, tel: 693 8613.

20. NPA Baltic Heritage Network – Development of the web portal Baltic Heritage Network, home pages of émigré Estonian archives and the coordination of the activities of NPAs –
The websites of the web portal Baltic Heritage Network and of the archives of exile communities have been kept in function (constantly updated with news, reviews, collection introductions, translated materials). Current information has been entered into the overall table of expatriate Estonian archival collections in the Estonian memory institutions (including bibliographies of the research papers on the Estonian Diaspora published during the year). The NPA Baltic Heritage Network conference theses have been made available. The web portal has opened a webpage in Russian. Baltic Heritage Network has started publishing BaltHerNeti Newsletter in English which is delivered electronically to the target group. Preparation work to develop the archival database for Estonian communities abroad is underway (an inquiry has been conducted among the Estonian archives abroad and there have been negotiations with the IT specialists at the National Archives).
Contact person: Piret Noorhani, e-mail: piretnoorhani@gmail.com.

21. NPA Baltic Heritage Network – NPA BaltHerNet events for the representatives of the exile communities and archival cooperation – The following archival events have been organized for the expatriate Estonians: 1) ) BaltHerNet conference “Hidden Treasures” at Estonian Literary Museum in Tartu, June 26 – 28, 2012 (the conference theses have been published and the articles based on the presentations have been edited); 2) The first archival information day for Estonians in the UK at the London Estonian House was held on Sept. 29-30, 2012 ( including negotiations on connecting the London Estonian Library to the common database of Estonians abroad); 5 seminars for the young people in Estonia and Riga. Further information: www.balther.net. Contact person: Piret Noorhani, e-mail: piretnoorhani@gmail.com.

22. NPA Association of Estonians Abroad (Välis-Eesti Ühing) – The publication “Archival data on the activities of the Association of Estonians Abroad in 1928 – 1940“– The publication “Archival data on the activities of the Association of Estonians Abroad in 1928 – 1940“(text on 64 pages) has been fully prepared for print. The preparation work involved searching for archival materials, selection and making digital copies of chosen documents in the National Archives as well as writing and editing the texts. Contact person: Leili Utno, e-mail: leiliutno@gmail.com.

23. St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society – Setting up an archive for the St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society – In the archive of St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society the following materials have been collected, copied (partly digitized), systematized and made accessible: 1)Historical materials and scientific research papers on St.Petersburg Estonians; 2) Documents of the St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society (including photo and video materials); 3)Recollections of the members of St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society; 4) Materials from private collections; 5) Materials on St.Petersburg Estonians from St.Petersburg, Estonian and Estonian media abroad; 6) Collections of professional photographers connected to St.Petersburg Estonian Cultural Society; 7) Archive of the newspaper “Peterburi Teataja”. Contact person: Veronika Mahktina, e-mail: mahch@mail.ru.

24. National Archives of Estonia (Historical Archives) – Atlas of the damages of archival documents for Estonian and Latvian archives abroad (designing and layout) – The manuscript of the trilingual (English, Latvian and Estonian) atlas describing and explaining the most common damages in archival documents has been completed as far as the design and layout is concerned (amounts to about 200 pp.). The book will be printed in 600 copies in Latvia in spring 2013 and will be made available in Latvia and Estonia through the council of the Compatriots Programme and the archives. Contact person: Ruth Tiidor, tel: 738 7504.

25. National Archives of Estonia (Film Archives) – Depositing in the Film Archives the sound archive of the Stockholm Estonian Musical and Cultural Society´s Local Radio, the audiovisual legacy of the author Enn Nõu and the sound recordings of the Union of Estonian Societies in Australia – In the course of the project 320 archival documents (183 tapes and 137 sound cassettes) of the Stockholm Estonian Musical and Cultural Society´s Local Radio, Enn Nõu and the Union of Estonian Societies in Australia have been digitized. After the digitization 414 sound files of high preservation parameters have been copied into the catalogues EFA.684 (E. Nõu); EFA.706 (Estonian Archives in Australia); EFA.725 (Stockholm Estonian Musical and Cultural Society´s Local Radio) in the data repository DATAHOST section intended for sound archives. 330 digitized sound recordings have been provided with contents summary descriptions. The sound recordings can be accessed in the Film Archives database FIS. Of the video collection of Enn Nõu 63 h., 51 min. and 17 sec. of video recordings have been digitized. Arrangement and description work on Enn Nõu´s personal archive has resulted in 403 descriptive units of video material that is preserved in the fileserver DATAHOST section intended for the video files of E. Nõu. Contact person: Paavo Annus, tel: 693 8613.

26. National Archives of Estonia (State Archives) – Digitizing archives containing documents of Estonians in Russia and making them accessible in the environments for digital resources of the National Archives – Of the materials concerning the activities and fate of Estonians residing in Soviet Russia in 1917-1940 the total of 1288 archival documents have been digitized originating from the following collections: Moscow Control and Optimization Commission (fonds ERA.28), Comintern Estonian Section in Moscow (fonds ERAF.6495), Comintern Estonian Section in Leningrad (fonds ERAF.25). All these materials can be accessed in digitized resources database SAAGA http://www.ra.ee/dgs/explorer.php. Contact person: Hedvig Mäe, tel: 693 8678.

27. Union of Estonians in Sweden – Continuation project of the Estonian Archives in Sweden – In the course of the project Harald Perten´s photo collection from the 1940s and 1950s (about 10 000 photos) has been partly structured, described and catalogued. The “Veskijärve” archive and “METROO” archive have been completely systematized (including compiling the lists) and the whole material has been deposited with the National Archives. Further information: Union of Estonians in Sweden, e-mail: rel@swipnet.se and National Archives, tel: 693 8020.

28. Tallinn University Academic Library – Preserving the cultural heritage of Estonians abroad and making it accessible- In the course of the project the newspaper “Vaba Eesti Sõna” has been repaired and restored. The newspaper “Vaba Eesti Sõna” 1981-1989 has been scanned on 14 films, seven of which have been indexed. 7306 digital files of “Vaba Eesti Sõna” 1981-1989 and 1230 files of “Võitleja”, “Meie Kodu” and “Eesti Päevaleht” (2010) have been migrated to the reading module DEA. The biographic database of expatriate Estonians VEPER has been complemented with 390 descriptions and 510 descriptions have been updated with new data. The database of Estonian articles was complemented with 686 descriptions after bibliographies of the newspapers “Eesti Hääl”, “Eesti Päevaleht”, “Eesti Rada”, “Meie Kodu”, “Krimmi Eestlased”, “Peterburi teataja” and “Rahvuslik Kontakt” 2010, 2011, and 2012 were completed. The retrospective bibliographic database for Estonian books published abroad has been complemented with 380 descriptions while 200 descriptions have been checked de visu. The database includes 7580 descriptions, 2000 of which have been thematically classified. Contact person: Anne Valmas, tel: 665 9439.

29. Tallinn University Academic Library – Transporting the offprints of the articles by expatriate Estonian scientists from Australia to Estonia – More than 10000 offprints of scientific papers by expatriate Estonian scientists (35 boxes in total) collected by the Estonian Archives in Australia over a period of some decades have been sent to Estonia to the Centre of Estonian Literature Abroad, Tallinn University Academic Library. Contact person: Anne Valmas, tel: 665 9439.

30. Institute of History, Tallinn University – Bringing the archival material of Argentine Estonians to Estonia – The following materials received from the archive of the Estonian Society in the Agentine and from the local Estonian community, mainly in Buenos Aires and in the vicinity, have been collected and selected: correspondence, minutes of the Estonian Society´s board meetings, photos (loose and in albums) and other objects. The materials have been brought to Estonia and have been deposited with the Estonian Cultural History Archives in Estonian Literary Museum. Contact person: Aivar Jürgenson, tel: 683 6451; further information: Estonian Literary Museum, tel: 737 7700.

31. Tartu City Library – Providing the Estonian collections of articles published abroad with analytical bibliographies – In the course of the project 11 Estonian collections of articles published abroad have been provided with bibliographies and 344 descriptions have been transferred to the database of Estonian articles ISE. All the descriptions have been edited and are available for information search. Contact person: Tiina Tark, tel: 736 1382.

32. Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu – Estica in the Russian State History Archives in St.Petersburg and in the State Archives of Vologda Province – Estica has been collected in the following archives: Russian State History Archives, St.Petersburg Central State History Archives and the Central Archives of the Russian Fleet. Concerning Estonian settlers in Russia, a complementary list has been compiled of the place names used for the Estonian settlements in Russia at different time periods (the respective database has been updated). In the Russian State History Archives a considerable amount of source materials have been discovered about the various aspects of the life and activities of Estonian settlers in the Caucasus, in the Crimea and in Turkey. Substantial new material has been found about the Estonians in the Karsi province and the Caucasus. In the St.Petersburg Central State History Archives materials have been established concerning the gradual migration of the Estonians, while in the Central Archives of the Russian Fleet the materials about the seamen of Estonian descent in Tsarist Russia. With the help of the St.Petersburg archives´ information system list manuscripts in pdf format and estica data have been copied and will be migrated into the information system of the National Archives. A section of the materials copied from the Russian State History Archives (Estonians outside Estonia) has been introduced by K.Tooming in his presentation at the Academic History Society on Nov. 22, 2012. The activities of the aristocracy from Estonia in various regions of Russia have been dealt with in Aadu Must´s book “Siber JA Eesti: Jalaraua kõlin” (“Siberia and Estonia: Rattle of the shackles”). The idea is to present a thorough overview of the materials in the Estica manual “Estica in the Russian archives” that is being compiled (Contact person: Aadu Must, tel: 737 5651). Estica materials can be accessed in SAAGA ESTICA (http://www.ra.ee/dgs/explorer.php) where materials from foreign archives are being preserved. Further information: National Archives of Estonia, tel: 738 7500.

33. Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu – Estica in the State History Archives of Kazakhstan – In the State History Archives of Kazakhstan unique source materials about the various fields of life of Estonian settlers have been established and copied. The copied materials have been systematized, arranged, described and handed over to the National Archives. The materials are accessible in SAAGA ESTICA (http://www.ra.ee/dgs/explorer.php) where materials from foreign archives are being preserved. Further information: National Archives of Estonia, tel: 738 7500.

34. Faculty of Theology, University of Tartu – Mapping and researching the historical cultural heritage of Estonian churches abroad in the North American and European archives – The materials of the archives of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Diocese Abroad (Seattle congregation, Portland congregation, San Francisco congregation and Los Angeles congregation) and of the deanery in Germany have been mapped and systematized while the data has been transferred to the existing database. The archives of the Estonian societies in Portland and Los Angeles have been mapped and systematized as well as those of the Los Angeles Estonian House and Võitlejate Ühing (Fighters´ Union). From the archive in the possession of provost emeritus Toomas Põld about 50 archival documents originating from the archives of EELC German deanery, EELC Bielefeld congregation and Toomas Põld´s personal archive have been brought to Estonia and are currently preserved in the EELC Consistory Archives in Tallinn. Contact person: Riho Altnurme, tel: 737 5300; Ülle Keel, EELC Consistory, tel: 627 7350.

Compiled by Sigrit Mahla
National Archives of Estonia
Tel: 738 7509