THE SOFTWARE PACKAGE DIGITIZING PAPER-BASED DOCUMENTS
Providing electronic access to information resources is a very important task not only in Russia but abroad too. An electronic database has already been digitized and formed in Japan in 2007 (project JACAR). Australia, America and some other countries have also got ahead in the solution of the problem. The decree on digitization was signed in late 2011 in our country, but, in practice, there are some problems with the work organization, personnel performance and the collection of reports. The research aimed on the paper documents digitizing have been performed, using the method of diving into the problem. During the work, the mechanisms, principles and features of the process have been examined. Then, the automation of the process has been carried out using the obtained results. It was decided to implement the digitizing process as a multi-stage procedure, distinguishing 3 stages and an access module. After the expansion of the database, the access module was designed and embedded. The software product has made a favorable impression in the State Archive of Kursk Region, where it was introduced in 2013 and is currently in use. The software solution was presented at the board meeting of the Archives Department of Kursk region, and evoked interest among the potential customers. We plan further development and distribution in the regions of Russia, as well as, possibly abroad. The software solution effectively accelerates digitizing and report generation, helps to decrease money and labor demands. Digitizing of paper documents and access to the database allows the researches to study valuable documents, been unavailable before. The work has been found useful for archival institutions by the Archives Department of Kursk region.