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system or causes the loss of all of the documents that are only accessible
via the paper based system. Because the management of paper and
digital systems are very similar, it is relatively easy to have one system
manage both paper and digital documents. This ensures that it is not

necessary to recreate the paper based cataloging and indexing systems,
usually saving a considerable expense. The old paper based system can
be cleaned up using a small part of the digital system funding (paper

systems operate on a small fraction of the budget of digital systems).
Both the paper and digital systems benefit from the thorough review and
cleanup. It is easy to tie the digital version of a document to its paper
version, so tracing a history and uncovering conversion problems is

greatly simplified. Finally, because there is only one system, it cannot be
eliminated in the hopes of getting by on an unreviewed and often
incomplete ‘other’ system.

The Word Document
The word document comes from the Late Latin (3rd to 6th century)
documentum meaning official paper and from the Latin lesson or proof.

Today there are many definitions of document. Certainly, each person
should have their own definition. A document is an identifiable
recording of information. Any recording medium can be used, as long as

it persists over time. Information is more than data, so a document
includes some elements of contextualization, organization, and analysis.
Documents may also be iconic or evidential in nature. This is
particularly true for old documents being archived. In this case, the

rarity (small number) of old documents often dictates that they be saved,
even when other aspects of the documents might indicate that they be
discarded, or even argue that they are not documents. Recordings of data

are not documents, unless the recordings include contextualization,
organization, and analysis. Examples of data is the error map of a DVD
(Digital Versatile Disc), the speed of each car passing a given point on a
road, or the exact weight of each can of soft drink produced in a factory.

Libraries and Books
Data needs contextualization, organization, and analysis to become
a document. With sufficient contextualization, organization, and

analysis, a document becomes a book.
Archives and History
Archives store the records of a society. A history of a society is

created by an analysis of the records of a society in the light of the
context of the society in the global history, as the global history is