The newspaper Krasnoye znamya as a source of the Tomsk Oblast museology study

The article presents the result of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of 473 articles of the largest local newspaper Krasnoye znamya for the period of 1944-2010 about museums in Tomsk Oblast. As a result, the main stages of the museum development in Tomsk Oblast during the 19th - early 21st centuries have been determined and characterized. Periodicals are an element of the history of society and the state. Most of noticeable processes and events in society were reflected in the pages of periodicals. Moreover, central and local papers have a great informative value. It is possible to study the events of museum life in dynamics, as well as to fill the gaps in the information found in other types of sources. The papers described the history of foundation and activities of museums and the dynamics of the museum sector development in the region. In addition, articles of periodicals are useful for studying the departmental affiliation of museums, their profile, and the main activities of regional, city and local museums. The frequency of article publication about museums is a key indicator of museum development in a particular period, which shows increases and decreases of interest in the museum phenomenon. 473 articles about museums in Tomsk Oblast were published in Krasnoye znamya from 1944 (the formation of Tomsk Oblast) to 2010. In total, 84 museums out of 294 were described in the articles. During the Soviet period, the newspaper published 298 articles, in the post-Soviet period 175. The following topics were described: exposition and exhibition activities of regional and local museums (the vast majority of articles); interaction of museums with the public, organization of scientific and social events; research activities and its results; publishing activities of museums; the role of persons in museum activities; the current state of the regional, district and local museums; history and specificity of corporate museums; participation of museums in international events (conferences, etc.); publications about conceived but unimplemented projects. The analysis of the articles of Krasnoye znamya revealed the following stages in museum activities in Tomsk Oblast: the beginning of the development (1940s-1950s ); the activation of museum activities (1960s-1970s); a rapid increase of museum foundation and museum activities (1980s); stagnation (1990-1997); insignificant growth (1998-2006); stabilization (2007-2010). To sum up, it is possible to note that the newspaper Krasnoye znamya is one of the largest sources for studying museums in Tomsk Oblast. However, this newspaper can be used together with other local newspapers and archival sources to obtain more reliable information about museums.

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