Although the revamped National Library of Estonia is still years out from reopening, visitors will soon be able to step into the National Archives' spaces in the Endla tänav building in Tallinn.

National archivist Priit Pirsko explained the archives preserve the written memory of Estonian society and the state.

"And not just written memory, but also on film reels, in photographs or in audio media — whatever format it may be," he said.

The archives are located in the wings of the National Library facing Endla tänav — which is why they call it the "Endla building."

While the library isn't set to reopen to the public until May 2027, the National Archives hopes to welcome visitors by this Christmas.

"We'll be opening a temporary reading room here in November already," Pirsko added.

Archives' paper collections are measured in shelf meters. "As of the beginning of this year, we have 101 kilometers of paper documents," the archivist said. The earliest documents date back to the early 13th century.

He explained that researchers handling regular paper documents don't wear white gloves, "but if something is rare, such as a parchment or glass negative, then white gloves are welcome."

As a public institution, the National Archives of Estonia is open to both Estonian and international visitors.

But Pirsko emphasized that 99.7 percent of visits now occur online, a trend made possible by the rapid growth of the archives' digital collections.

At six petabytes — 6,000 terabytes, or 6 million gigabytes — at the start of the year, the digital holdings now far outpace paper records, giving online visitors unprecedented access to Estonia's historical materials.

Even so, he noted that the new building in Tallinn is critical for preserving the country's heritage.

"It's very important that, for the first time in history, we can guarantee access to our film heritage, because it will also include the Leida movie theater," the archivist added.

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