Kiri

Michael A. Keller Vice Provost & University Librarian and Director of Academic Information Resources The Stanford University Libraries Cecil H. Green Library Stanford, California 94305-6004 [email protected] telephone 650-723-5553 January 27, 2021 Minister of Culture Anneli Ott Suur-Karja 23 15076 Tallinn Estonia Dear Minister Ott, On behalf of the Stanford University Libraries, I congratulate most heartily the new Estonian government that was sworn in on January 26, 2021. We celebrate the fact that the new government has significantly increased the number of female ministers in Estonia and is led by the first female prime minister of the country. Furthermore, we were excited to learn that Estonia has now become the only country in the world that has both a female president and female prime minister at the helm. We recognize that these are extremely challenging times, and we wish you and your colleagues success and strength in your endeavors. The Baltic Studies Program of Stanford Libraries, enabled and supported by the Kistler–Ritso Foundation, marks its eight anniversary this year. We are proud to have been able create one of the strongest Baltic collections in the United States. In partnership with numerous cultural and educational institutions in the Baltic countries, including the Archimedes Foundation, the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, and the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory, we have organized a range of public events and projects that support our collection and the students and scholars who use it. We enjoy an especially close partnership with Vabamu: The Museum of Occupations and Freedom through various collaborative projects and my involvement in the Vabamu Supervisory Council. Stanford students have had the opportunity to work in Estonia as interns in cultural and educational organizations, opportunities that we have organized, and the students have benefitted from and enjoyed. Together, we have significantly strengthened the contacts between the scholarly communities of Stanford and Estonia. We are extremely grateful for the Estonian government’s continuous support toward our efforts in enhancing Baltic studies as well as toward the 2018 Baltic conference, which was held at Stanford in celebration of the Baltic republics’100th anniversary and brought together over 450 scholars and students interested in the field. Over the years, we have organized numerous public lectures, film screenings, and exhibits celebrating the culture and achievements of Estonia and its neighbors. In 2017–2018, we held a series of lectures by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Hoover Institution, which addressed topics ranging from e-society and digital entrepreneurship to cybersecurity and geopolitical challenges of the Baltic countries. We have been honored to host the public addresses and visits by President Ilves, Prime Minister Rõivas, Prime Minister Ratas, President Kaljulaid, and Minister of Education Reps, all of which have been extremely well received by the Stanford community. It thus gives me utmost pleasure to invite you to visit Stanford University Libraries in the near future – as soon as the circumstances surrounding the current pandemic allow it – in order to give a public address on any subject that is currently relevant to the Baltic countries, to meet with our faculty and students who research the Nordic-Baltic region, and to discuss the future of Baltic studies at Stanford. The Stanford Libraries would be happy to coordinate the visit and host a public speaking engagement at any time that is convenient for you. With your permission, we would stream your presentation and offer it on demand after your presentation, so that many more than the audience of 250 in our Bender Room could see it. I hope you will be able to accept our invitation and look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. You will be most welcome here at Stanford, where I and many colleagues happily anticipate your visit to our campus. Sincerely, Cc: Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S. Jonatan Vseviov 1990 K Street NW Suite 430 Washington, D.C. 20006 Consul General of Estonia in San Francisco Ann Hänni 101 Natoma Street 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105