45

Could the analysis of social and professional information practices enrich the definitions of the document in information and communication sciences? Can we suggest that this analysis may constitute a legitimate perspective on the document? Based on several observations in the context of research projects, schools, professional spaces, and workshops, we note that social expectations and activity make the document a co-constructed space, structuring the organization and management of information. The document, as a dialogical space, then becomes a means of formalizing activities with regard to positions, representations, and projected goals. On the basis of this research, we can consider a further definition of the document, which focuses not only on its content but on the modalities of its development and its role in cognitive construction.