Information Management Strategies of Knowledge Workers in the Public Sector in Kuwait

Abstract

Knowledge workers are overwhelmed by the amount of information they collect and receive from a variety of sources. Proper strategies for personal information management can help in controlling the information overload and facilitate re-finding of information for future use. A study at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait has revealed that officers rely heavily on information items collected through search engines, institutional repositories, and email attachments. They save information found on desktops and share drives, add favourites and bookmarks, and save URLs of websites to reuse information in future. They organize information in folders using different work related categories and regularly clean and update their files and folders. They use social media and other Web 2.0 tools to support personal information management. However, there appears to be a lack of awareness about the need of organizing personal information according to any well-thought scheme. Also, efforts need to be made to improve the methods and capabilities of re-finding of information. Further research is desirable in order to enhance understanding and developing insight into the factors influencing the information management behaviour.