Development of Mass-Circulation Newspapers in Ukraine as a Mass Type of Primary Press (1930 s)

This article deals with the factories mass-circulation newspapers issued in 1930 s in the territory of modern Ukraine. The peculiarities of their development and operation in the light of social and political situation are characterized, the topics of publications are analysed. Mass-circulation newspapers are considered as a component of the general system of Soviet periodicals, one of its elements, the mass type of the primary press. The question of bibliographic processing of an array of multi-circulation newspapers by creating traditional and electronic library and information resources is raised.1930 s was decisive for the development of the mass-circulation press as it was finally approved as a specific mass type of print media. Every enterprise, either small or big, was aimed at publishing its own newspaper. The topics of publications of mass-circulation newspapers were quite extensive: party life, industrial successes and problems, everyday life, cultural and mass work, social issues, etc. However, unlike 1920 s, the pages of mass-circulation newspapers carried international, all-Union, and republican information with increasing frequency. In addition, these publications underwent some changes in the structure, form and methods of work, the amount of information increased, topics expanded, information was presented in a more professional way; the audience of these publications grew significantly. Engineers and technical personnel became more and more involved in the work of newspapers.At the same time newspapers of the USSR–UkrSSR in the 1930-s represented the era of formation and establishment of totalitarianism, the rigid unification of the whole social life of the country. During this period, the authorities eliminated all manifestations of alternative opinion, and the process of denationalization of the republic's press unfolded.Currently, V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (NBUV) is conducting a historical and bibliographic study of the press. In 2019, the Department of Press Studies of the NBUV began a comprehensive study of the mass-circulation press of Ukraine. In the context of the formation of electronic library and information resources of the press, the specialists of the Department of Press Studies created an electronic catalog of Ukrainian newspapers of 1816–2016 from the NBUV archives representing the whole spectrum of Ukrainian newspaper periodicals over 200 years, including mass-circulation publications.