Information Governance Specialist

Sharon Smith, MSc

Defender of trustworthy information. Champion of accountability. Advocate for responsible AI.

By day, Sharon is a recordkeeping and information governance specialist at Library and Archives Canada, where she works to strengthen the foundations of accountability, transparency and institutional memory. Through the Information Governess, she explores a critical question for the digital age: how can organizations govern information so it remains trustworthy, authoritative, accountable and usable in an increasingly digital and AI-enabled world?

Sharon brings a global perspective to her work through contributions to the International Council on Archives Programme Commission and the development of ISO standards. She is a respected educator, community leader and advocate for collaborative stewardship across the information profession.

At the heart of her work is a belief that archives and trustworthy information are about far more than preserving the past. They are critical tools for transparency, justice and reconciliation. Well-governed records help societies understand the decisions that shaped them, uncover truths that may have been hidden, and support efforts to address historical injustices, including the enduring impacts of colonialism and systemic repression. Without trustworthy information, accountability is weakened. Without archives, collective memory is diminished. Information governance is ultimately about trust: trust in institutions, trust in evidence and trust in our ability to learn from the past while building a more accountable future.