The goal of this research project is to understand better how people manage ever-larger collections of their personal information, the problems people encounter as they do so, and the support people need in order to "manage" better - not only the information but also the various activities for which the information is needed. The research is focused on the role that structure plays in the management of personal information collections. Efforts to structure information find expression in various external representations (ERs) such as folder hierarchies, physical piles and analogous groupings of digital items, user-assigned property/value combinations, annotations, file and folder names, etc. But the ways in which ERs develop over time and the roles they play in personal information management (PIM) are poorly understood. The research includes a series of longitudinal studies involving a diversity of people working with various information collections. People in some conditions have access to prototype tools. Prototyping explores the possibility that better support for the creation (or acquisition), maintenance and use of an ER can also produce important integrations in personal information. The research is linked to educational initiatives to support information literacy and the management of personal information as a core competency. Results will be widely disseminated through an established Web site (http://kftf.ischool.washington.edu/publications.asp) and through various articles. Research will promote basic advances in the understanding of PIM leading to improvements, not only in personal productivity, but also in overall quality of life.
