RaRa

National Library of Estonia is a public legal entity that operates on the basis of the Act and the Statute of the Estonian National Library and other legislation in accordance with international norms and principles regulating library work.

National Library of Estonia

The highest body of the National Library is the Council. The work of the library is managed by the general director.

Official name: Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu
Official abbreviation: RR
Registration number: 74000139
VAT number: EE100179475
Transaction partner code: 632201
Bank account:
Swedbank EE312200221001158934
SWIFT/BIC: HABAEE2X
Phone 630 7502
E-mail: [email protected]

• Board of the National Library

  Vilja Toomast – [email protected] – chairman of the board

  Monika Kuntsel – [email protected]

  Helmen Kütt – [email protected]

  Anti Poolamets – [email protected]

  Priit Pirsko – [email protected]

  Raivo Ruusalepp – raivo@eba ee

  Antero Habicht – [email protected]

   

  Secretary:
  Julia Leitsinger – [email protected]

Billing

The institution accepts e-invoices. The service provider for receiving e-invoices is: Fitek, Fitek AS (10179336)

What does the National Library of Estonia do?

The National Library is an information and competence center for all of Estonia, which ensures access to both digital and physical information and cultural heritage for all Estonian residents.

• General library services

  The National Library is open to all. We’ll be lending you books, sheet music and audio recordings to take home. RaRa’s collections include all books, periodicals and other publications published in Estonia. As a library specialising in the social sciences and humanities, we have a wide-ranging collection of foreign literature, and as a parliamentary library, we have one of Estonia’s most comprehensive collections of legal literature.

  The National Library offers guidance and information services to students, literature lovers, professionals and researchers, and curricula and educational programmes supporting lifelong learning to schools, universities and professionals. The National Library offers free use of work and group rooms, computers and, subject to a price list, printers and photocopiers.

  The National Library is a research library – our statutory mission is to be a library for the humanities and social sciences.

• Digital services

  The National Library provides access to many international databases for all users. Paid research databases acquired by the RaRa are also accessible to all registered users outside the library.

  Among the nationally relevant databases, the National Library is developing the digital archive DIGAR, which provides access to socially relevant information (books, journal publications, images, etc.) in digital format. DIGAR contains the most comprehensive collection of Estonian printed publications, and as of 2018, all publications published in Estonia are available in digital format. DIGAR brings together material from the first newspaper published in Estonia to books, audio recordings and posters.

  RaRa is responsible for the entire Estonian Web Archive, which collects and stores in its entirety web pages of importance to Estonian society and cultural history.

• Public services and public responsibilities 

  Under the Preservation of Copies Act, the National Library is responsible for the collection and preservation of all digital and physical publications published in Estonia. RaRa is the centre for the collection of deposit copies and ensures the availability of publications in all libraries holding deposit copies. RaRa also collects national statistics on Estonian printed production and books, acting as the national agency for international standard numbers.

• Parliamentary Library

  Estonia is one of the few countries where the national library and the parliamentary library are combined. The National Library of Estonia is the legal successor of the State Library founded in 1918, and is again fulfilling the duties of a parliamentary library since 1989. Today, we have grown into a national library, collecting, keeping and making available all national literature. 

  In addition to the information service of the Riigikogu and other constitutional institutions, our collections and publications can be used by anyone interested in law and social sciences. The library is used by specialists of ministries and companies, lawyers and students. 

  We support the employees of state institutions in searching for background material necessary for work – scientific articles, studies, reports, practice of other countries, etc. The library acquires literature in the fields of law, economics, sociology, politics, disinformation and the European Union, both in the form of e-editions and physical books. 

  The National Library is also the deposit library of several international organizations, collecting materials, documents and databases about EU, NATO, IMF, ILO, UN etc. 

  The database Society Studies provides the main research and publications produced by the Estonian public sector organisations and think tanks and introduces them to the wider public. The database Summaria Iuridica includes the latest legal research articles and books and the legislation of other countries. 

  The Chancellery of the Riigikogu in cooperation with the Estonian National Library issues publications that aim to explain the work of the Riigikogu. 

  Also we create exhibitions relating to parliament work and the history of the parliament. And for students we conduct educational lessons and make educational online-games. 

  Members of parliament and officials oh the Chancellery of the Riigikogu can visit parliament’s reading room at the Riigikogu building.

• National Centre of Competence and Development

  The National Library stands for good innovative digital solutions. In order to diversify access to digital content, we are carrying out digital humanities development projects, and the data created in the library is available to all as key data. The National Library of Estonia is the center of excellence and development of Estonian libraries, develops nationwide central e-services, collects statistics on Estonian libraries, is responsible for standard reading in the field, coordinates work on terminology in the field and provides professional and continuing training for librarians. The National Library is a center of excellence for the restoration of printed heritage, provides training for other libraries and is a partner for Estonian and foreign universities.

• The Repository Library

  The main tasks of the Estonian National Library are:

  • to form a nationwide depository of under-utilized publications, storing scientific, technical and cultural literature worthy of preservation that has been transferred from other libraries in Estonia and making it available to libraries and readers;
  • to receive materials from other libraries, institutions, legal and natural persons and to exchange them with libraries for the purpose of supplementing their collections or replacing lost materials;
  • preparing, assembling, preserving and making available audio books, audio magazines, audio journals, audio journals, Braille and electronic publications, as well as wooden books, for readers with visual impairments or other disabilities that prevent them from reading in normal print. Readers are served both in the library’s reading lobby and through interlibrary loan, which is also available electronically.

  Established on the basis of the Estonian National Library’s Depository and Interchange Library, the Estonian Depository Library started its operations on 1 January 1995. Since 1996, the EHR has been under the administration of the Ministry of Culture. In matters of principle, the Library is advised by the Council of the Estonian National Library. In 2002, the EHR became a member of the Estonian Library Network Consortium and joined the integrated library system INNOPAC.

• The Library for the Blind

  The Library for the Blind serves people who are visually impaired or have any other disability, disorder or disease that prevents them from reading printed text. Printed material on the activities, rehabilitation and teaching of people with visual impairments is available for loan to anyone who requests it. The library produces, collects, preserves and lends audio and braille books, wood books, e-books and films with descriptive translation. The library has its own sound recording studio and a dot-matrix printing workshop. The production of books is carried out in accordance with the provisions of § 19 of the Copyright Act. The Library for the Blind serves readers from Estonia and abroad.