: The paper investigates first the role of artifacts in a cooperative work environment. It shows the different types of artifacts used in work groups. Then, it stresses the characteristics of common artifacts and shows their lifecycle. One way to support knowledge management in organizations is to make the useful information captured in artifacts and additionally annotated or linked information permanent. The paper finally introduces two possible mechanisms to achieve this: ordered exchange vs. shared space approaches. Before concluding, it describes briefly a knowledge management system with snapshots. Key words: Artifacts, CSCW, knowledge management.