| Abstract [eng] |
During different periods a book played a different role in the life of the society depending on social, economic, and cultural conditions. The article seeks to analyse the role of a book as a document in several aspects: book as a document, changes of a structure and a carrier, changes of functions in different periods, advantages and shortcomings of printed and electronic books. The place of a book within the system of mass media and its future is also discussed. A document as a source of knowledge is a unity of contents and form. Research mainly directed the attention to the most important forms of the documents. A book became the main object of research not because it is a printed item, but because it was dominating the system of documentary communication. The development of science and technology gave birth to new carriers of information and changed the traditional information environment to a virtual one together with the material form of a document. The document consists of three components: information, a carrier, and technology of recording the information on the carrier (together with the technology of document identification). Two of those components may be different: material form turns into a digital form, which exists in a virtual environment. The structure of the document changes from linear into digital one. The social and economic environment is characterised by lowered costs of production, quicker and simpler technological processes attract a significant part of society members. For a long time the term “a book“ was used generally to denote documents. However, a book has its own specific features and differes from other documents. The book is characterised by two aspects: contents and form. Contents include the essence of a book, ideas, thoughts, etc. The form is a material environment that transfers and preserves information. A book is one of the most popular and the oldest document types and has a unique place in society and history.. |
