On April 2, Stanford Libraries unveiled the exhibit “Why Estonia? The 30-Year Journey from the USSR to e-Estonia,” which chronicles Estonia’s evolution from its historical roots to its digital achievements, highlighting both successes and challenges along the way.

This exhibit, a collaborative effort between Vabamu and Stanford Libraries, incorporates materials from Vabamu’s holdings to illustrate Estonia’s remarkable transformation and the digital tools now accessible to its citizens. It also includes video interviews with experts on e-governance, specifically produced for this exhibit. An interactive component, designed by Stanford student Cece La Puma, invites visitors to compare services available in Estonia and the United States, allowing them to cast votes on their preferences. The original exhibition at Vabamu was curated by Henrik Roonemaa from an idea by Karen Jagodin.

The exhibit will be displayed in Green Library until August 22, 2025.

The opening event featured a keynote address by former Estonian Government CIO Luukas Ilves, entitled “What the World’s Most Digital Country Can Teach Us About Government Efficiency and Effectiveness?” This talk marked the beginning of a series of three discussions on e-Estonia hosted by Stanford Libraries during April and May. Opening remarks were presented by Michael Keller (Stanford Libraries) and Ivo Lille (Vabamu), with Andrew Grotto (CISAC) moderating the ensuing discussion. The voice recording of the opening is available here. 

Participants were also given a guided tour of the exhibit, led by Luukas Ilves. 

Next events in the series:

April 15, 2025: Talk by Aro Velmet, “The Information Revolution: How Estonian Cyberneticians Invented the Information Age in the Soviet Empire”
https://events.stanford.edu/event/the-information-revolution

May 7, 2025: Book Talk with Joel Burke, “Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution”
https://events.stanford.edu/event/rebooting-a-nation