Paper, Piles, and Computer Files: Folklore of Information Work Environments

A FOLKLORE OF INFORMATION WORK ENVIRONMENTS adopts the holistic indepth methods from the folklore of work and applies them to modern information workplaces. Like some other fields, folklore of spaces and artifacts takes the perspective that people’s folk practices are a part of the things they interact with, that environment impacts people, and people impact their environment. Thus a folklore of space enfolds many of the research interests of diverse fields that deal with the modern work setting and the elements within that setting, from cubicle design to information systems. This article reviews literature from several bodies of research and attempts to bring them together in a projected folklore of information work space. It emphasizes the importance of studying folklore of information work environments in the context of the current shift toward removing work from any particular place via information systems, e-mail, and the Web. A deep understanding of the folklore of work space can give clues to the impact of this trend and can inform design of information systems and modern work environments.