We live today in a society characterised by quick technological develop - ments and rapid processes of change. Technological developments have automated processes that used to be carried out by manual labour, whilst new professions and work tasks have emerged. Earlier generations were accustomed to lifelong positions in the same company. Nowadays people search for work opportunities in a global market, experience more frequent career changes, must learn new skills throughout their careers and manage the increasingly fluid boundaries between work life and home life. Even our work environments have changed: as Alvin Toffler's (1980) vision of the ‘paperless offices’ from 50 years ago is now being realised, we are starting to move into the state of ‘peopleless offices’ in which work is conducted in digital rather than physical spaces. In the peopleless offices, an organization's workforce collectively carry out their work in digital, rather than physical workplaces. Many workplaces are already now hybrids where the work activities addressed, tools utilised and information con - sumed are the same no matter whether engaged in at the office or at home.

The role of information is essential in all these processes, as a resource for learning, managing change, developing and running processes and creating professional networks. One of the most significant changes in work is the incorporation of information technology into almost every area of work life, changing how we work, where we work and what work we do. This information revolution within our workplaces calls for a new examination of information, information technology and information practices within the modern workplace and this is what this book seeks to do: provide a comprehensive account of information in the modern workplace. It includes a set of chapters examining and reviewing the major concepts within workplace information, from overarching themes of information cultures and information ecologies to strategic concerns of information management and governance, and detailed accounts of the nature of information artefacts themselves. The topic is international and the text reflects this; whilst there are many cultural, geographical and organizational factors that can influence information work environments, there are also strong commonalities that cut across these boundaries.