Abstract:
The purpose of the article is based on the study of documents, problem-thematic historiography, guided
by the latest methodology. It is to explore the theoretical aspects of establishing the content potential of documentary and information resources, to make a general picture of their external, internal elements and
characteristics, identify features, find out efficiency methods of scientific criticism. Methodology. The research
methods of Record Studies, Archival Science, Information Studies and Social Communication were used. They
allowed to reveal the content of documentary and information resources, to analyze their external and internal
characteristics, to identify interdisciplinary connections in the study of documentary sources. The scientific
novelty of the work is to establish the features and content of documents, to analyze the phenomenon of
documentary information resources as a source of information, the specifics of reflecting time and reality in
them, to process the documents of archive, museum, and library repositories and to establish their informational
value and significance. Conclusions. The study of documentary and information resources as a reflection of
time and space communication relationships were revealed, the needs of society in information documentation,
and the creation of specific document forms and organization of their storage, which arose to meet these needs,
were identified. The research allowed us to study the theoretical foundations of documentary information
resources, to see their capabilities, to create a holistic comprehensive vision of external and internal features
of the document as a source of information and means of communication of a particular period in terms of
theoretical and thematic issues.