An electronic record as an object of records management: a historiographic review

The paper deals with the main researches of the Russian specialists in records management and experts in related scientific subjects that have been studying electronic records from the moment when this concept was found in the late 1990^th till nowadays. The author analyzes definitions of the concept «electronic record», studies its features, connected with information environment specifics as well as an electronic medium of information, definition of the main categories of electronic records and indications of their classification. By the beginning of XXI century a concept of electronic record was formed, which was un-contradictory for records management and archival science, its working definition was offered. Scientists think that an electronic record is a document that carries out the same functions and has the same indications as a traditional document. At the same time it was defined that a specific data carrier character and documenting methods put a problem of electronic records typology. The author has also solved a number of urgent problems – defined the electronic record’s structure and recognized its validity. The most actual problems for further studying were designated in the Program. Later scientific discussions were taken place about these questions to a greater or lesser extent, and now they become active in connection with a problem of an electronic records archival storage.