On June 5, 2008, the staff of The Day received a wonderful present on Journalists' Day. The Ministry of Education and Science has classified our newspaper's Ukraine Incognita series of books as "supplemental literature" for use in schools. Even though we have a very clear-headed attitude to our professional holiday, this does not belittle the value of the ministry's decision. In fact, it turned the holiday into a real celebration for our entire intellectual community (our reporters, wonderful contributors, and readers), which worked on The Day 's Library Series, as well as the scholars who evalu ated our production and the education min istry that supported it.
Without any false modesty, we can say that our Library Series is an unprecedent ed newspaper project. Of course, the ques tion remains open whether these books will find their way onto the list of government- financed socially significant literature. At any rate, this is the first step in the right direction.
A noted Ukrainian writer, who is scornful of Ukraine's print media, once remarked that Ukraine does not have its own Gazeta Wyborcza . Some of my colleagues may have taken offence at this, but we at The Day understand with the utmost clarity that Ukraine is not Russia, of course, but it is still not where Poland is. We are still outside the European community and NATO only because a considerable number of Ukrainians are struggling with their identity under the burden of our exceptionally difficult history and are not sufficiently demanding of politi cians. While the Polish people do not have to be told why they are Poles and why they need to know their language and history, we are just beginning to regain our historical memory.
It was no accident that the distinguished scholar James Mace, who was a contributor to
The Day , called our society post-genoci dal. This is why we publish our daily in two languages, have a weekly English-language digest, and have taken it upon ourselves to create a library that is accessible to everyone.
We believe that it should serve as an "appendix" to the passport of every Ukrainian citizen because today, in this period of tests and turmoil, we need true citizens more than energy resources.
So greetings to you, our colleagues, contributors, and readers of The Day , on the holiday that celebrates the free and enlightened word!
Vasyl KREMIN , president of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine:
"The Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine had the honor of hosting an exhibit of books from The Day 's Library Series. We gave high marks to its content and national-patriotic approach, and passed a decision to support your request to have this series of books classified as "supplemental literature" for use in schools. We are delighted that Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science has responded to our proposal and granted this classification. It is an important step because students will now have another source of unbiased accounts of Ukraine's past and present, especially of such little-known pages from our history as the 1932-33 Holodomor, in the publicizing of which The Day played a major role. The Day 's Library Series will equip students with a view of the contemporary world as a global space, an awareness of the need to democratize the country, the principal ways of achieving this goal, and many other important things. This will serve to better prepare our students for life in the 21st century."
Maksym STRIKHA, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine:
" The Day 's Library Series is a wonderful example of how a single publication has, for many years, carried out educational activities - work that government bodies should be doing. It's great that The Day is doing this. The high level of these publications has been confirmed by the intellectual resonance they have created and will continue to create in the future. There is no doubt that because of the general increase of attention to the problems of the 1932-33 Holodomor and the importance attributed to them by the president and government of Ukraine, lecturers at institutions of higher education are turning to the works of James Mace, a unique person, who was among the pioneers of Holodomor studies and who expended much effort on engaging Ukrainians and the rest of the world community in studying this question. I believe that The Day 's Library Series will make splendid home reading even for high-school students. Creative teachers can also refer to the works of James Mace and The Day 's Library Series."
Petro KRALIUK, Vice-Rector of Ostroh Academy National University:
"Lately quite a variety of textbooks and handbooks recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science for institutions of higher education have been published, including those on history. Unfortunately, not all of them are of good quality. They are characterized by repetitious platitudes, unnecessary jingoism, and other shortcomings. The Day 's Library Series wins the comparison test because its books often pose questions in an unusual way, provide answers to them, and examine little known facts that are nonetheless necessary. These books make the reader think rather than take the material for granted. This is what textbooks should be like if we want to have thinking students."
Volodymyr PANCHENKO , professor at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and The Day contributor:
"I recall the beginning of The Day 's Library Series in 2002. These are semi-popular publications, but they have nothing to do with the amateurish populism that has become so ubiquitous these days. The Ukraina Incognita series of books is not intended just for specialists. They are also aimed at the general public. The goal of the series is to convey scholarly thought to the public. Unfortunately, there is a gap between scholarship and public consciousness in Ukraine. Scholars are doing their work, but scholarly results are not reaching the public. I must say that The Day 's Library Series is intellectual therapy for Ukrainian society.
What is attractive about the articles in The Day is their historic range, from the times of Kyivan Rus' to the present day, as well as the human dimension. The history that is examined in the Ukraina Incognita column is not panoramic or impersonal. It is filled with real people, from artists to military leaders. And, as we all know, a person is the measuring stick for time.
I am happy that the print run of the books from this series will be increased. This means that they will reach schools and teachers' offices. And through teachers' minds they will reach students' hearts."
Viktor HOROBETS , historian, head of the Social History Center:
"The ministry made the right decision, which should have been made long ago. Even when the idea for the library appeared, it was clear that its publications were going to be innovative and unique. These books raise issues that are not covered in school textbooks. Historians, philosophers, culture specialists, and philologists, people who are not only professionals in their respective fields but also excellent writers were invited to write them. They tried to present history in a colorful and interesting way, which is very important for young readers. I think that these publications will be in demand by schools because they demonstrate positivity and present the material through a pro-Ukrainian approach."
Stanislav KULCHYTSKY , historian and author of the book Why Did He Exterminate Us, part of The Day's Library Series:
"Unfortunately, the books in The Day 's Library Series are published in limited quantities. Most of these books are based on newspaper articles, and you know that newspapers don't last long. That is why the compilation of these fundamental articles in book form and the distribution of these books are very important matters. If there is an order from the education and culture ministries, it will be possible to increase the print run, and the books will reach their target audience - young people, the thinking segment of the population. All the articles that are published in The Day raise the hottest issues: national consciousness and historical memory. Since Ukrainian society does not have its own information space, but uses one that is filled with foreign information products, projects like this are vital."
