Covid-19 has changed life for most of us. VEMU, the Museum of Estonians Abroad in Canada is no exception here. Due to the need to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the management of Tartu College, our home, has decided to keep the G-floor (including the Hall, fraternities’ rooms, the library) and archival depositories on B2 floor closed to the public until June 15, 2020.

TLPA is a non-profit organisation founded in 1972. In 1974 the Association was granted a privilege document – Charter. We use the name Latvian Senior Citizens Association in Metro Toronto for correspondence with the government. Its first location was at the Latvian House on College Street in midtown Toronto. In its present location at the Latvian Centre it resides since 1994.

The year 2020 has become more special than ever imagined. An emergency situation has been in place in Canada and in other parts of the world for some time and the end is not yet in sight. Restrictions have changed our everyday lives and coping mechanisms.

The end of WWII did not bring freedom and liberation for all countries and nations. Central and Eastern Europe fell into the grip of the Soviets and found itself isolated from the free world.

This April, the National Library of Lithuania invited book lovers to participate in a competition “The World on My Bookshelf” and to present their favorite books by writing a book annotation. Readers were invited to describe a book they liked and those who were unwilling or lazy to write to photograph or film their bookshelves.

In April, sad news arrived from Germany. On April 21, 2020, Dr. Vincas Bartusevičius, a long-time friend of the National Library of Lithuania, passed away.

How many floors does Tartu College have? What was the first party that took place in Tartu College Hall in 1970? How many people have helped to organise VEMU collections in the past 10 years? These are some examples of questions in the online quiz series that VEMU is organizing in honour of Tartu College’s 50th Anniversary.

The massive spread of COVID-19 has changed all of our everyday lives and activities. Many of us have been forced to stay away from our normal workspaces to isolate ourselves at home and work remotely. Events have been cancelled or postponed. Opportunities to move about have become limited, if not impossible.