Transformation of recording features in an electronic environment

The article deals with one of the main theoretical problems of document science related to the definition of document features. This problem is also of applied importance, since when formulating the definition of the concept of «document», it usually reflects its properties and features. In the context of the revision of the national terminological standard GOST R 7.0.8 – 2013. «Record keeping and archival business. Terms and definitions» it is advisable to turn once again to the question of the features of the document for their correct reflection in the concept of the term «document». The urgency of the problem is also due to the fact that these signs should be universal for both paper and electronic documents. In document science, the material carrier of the document and its form are traditionally considered as features of the document. As for the material carrier of the document, its use as a feature of the document was due to the need for physical isolation of the recorded information for the purpose of subsequent processing, transmission and storage. The material carrier acted primarily as an object that allows you to select a document from among others, and ensures its integrity. With the advent of electronic documents, this condition has ceased to be observed. Electronic media, which is generally understood as a technical device. Moreover, the features of recording information on this type of media allow you to transmit information without transferring the media, so the electronic media is fundamentally different. In this regard, it is not advisable to use it to identify a specific document as an object in an electronic environment. In this connection, the feature of the document "material carrier" in the electronic environment ceases to be essential, one of the main external features of the document. At the same time, its second external feature is preserved – a form that ensures the integrity of the document within the framework of its use in the interaction of subjects of public relations. However, it also undergoes some transformation, since in the electronic environment it ceases to reflect information about the management process, some of the document details are contained as information in the information system. These changes related to the features of the document in the electronic environment force us to turn to the search for new features, as well as to revise from a scientific point of view the definition of the concept of «document», which would reflect the common essential characteristics of the traditional document and the document in the electronic environment, primarily related to the social functions that the document performs in society.