'Everything goes into or out of the iPad' - the iPad, information scraps and personal information management

Personal information management (PIM) is of considerable interest to the information science community. Traditionally the domain of paper, desktop computers and laptops, we have seen the widespread introduction of tablet computers in PIM. In this paper we discuss the findings of the first stage of a multi year study into the emergent role of tablets in PIM with a particular focus on information and knowledge workers. We discuss a set of observations on how the use of tablet computers affects PIM and how it fits into the process of collecting and managing information. In particular, heavy tablet users appear to be supplanting paper with tablets for the purposes of micronote taking. A major finding detailed in the paper is an unexpected increase in the use of paper by heavy tablet users.