Jen Ford, MLIS, CDMP, DCAM

Experience

• 

  The Internet Archive

  Sept 2006 - Aug 2010

  Digitization Specialist

  Digitized old and rare books dating as far back as the 16th century and uploaded them online for public access.

• 

  The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

  Mar 2010 - Aug 2010

  Archives and Records Management Consultant

  Developed and implemented records management best practices and strategies for managing electronic files. Developed a records management policy for the digitization, preservation and organization of all photographs, videos, slides and other imagery and then archived the files and media.

• 

  Elgin County Archives

  Feb 2011 - Apr 2011

  Digital Exhibit Researcher and Creator

  Created a digital exhibit on the pictoral history of county fairs. Selected archival documents and photographs to include on the website and researched the fairs by consulting archival primary documents. Created a website for the Archives for the digital exhibit.

• 

  Stratford Shakespeare Festival

  Feb 2011 - Apr 2011

  Archives Assistant

  Worked in the Stratford Festival Archives, as part of a pilot project to determine how to best organize the Festival's archives. Helped to create a series level description for The Tempest and described a variety of materials including text, costumes and props using RAD (The Rules for Archival Description).

• 

  Natural Resources Canada

  May 2011 - Aug 2011

  Collaborative Tools and SharePoint Analyst

  Worked as part of the Enterprise Information Management team managing collaborative tools including SharePoint and the internal wiki. Helped with the RecordKeeping pilot project in partnership with Library and Archives Canada. Provided SharePoint and Wiki training. Compiled and analyzed statistics on the use of collaborative tools within the organization. Provided reference services to NRCan employees in the library.

• 

  Ryerson University Library

  Sept 2011 - May 2012

  Library Assistant (reference, instruction, other special projects)

  Provided in person and virtual reference services to Ryerson and other Ontario University patrons in-person, by phone, by email and online through a chat service. Taught information literacy workshops including how to use the library's online resources and how to create an effective search strategy. Created training videos on how to use library resources. Helped to create a usage rights database for the library's journal subscriptions which involved analyzing and interpreting journal license agreements. Show less

• 

  Hippocampus Reading Foundation

  May 2012 - Aug 2012

  Researcher

  Researched the vernacular publishing industry and communicated with publishers and government officials to advocate for the promotion of vernacular reading materials for young children. Wrote a report outlining the issues surrounding regional language children's books with recommendations for improvement.

• 

  Ryerson University

  May 2013 - Dec 2013

  Reference Librarian

  Provided reference services to a campus of over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 15,000 continuing education students, staff and faculty in-person, by phone and through email. Also provided reference services virtually to patrons through a consortium of Ontario universities. Subject areas covered included business, health, science, arts and humanities. Taught patrons about common issues such as copyright and citations and how to effectively search databases for their research needs. Show less

• 

  Mothercraft

  Jun 2013 - Sept 2013

  Information Management Specialist

  • Created a new information management program, which reduced risk, saved time and reduced information silos. This included policies and procedures, a business case and framework for the implementation of SharePoint, and a plan for migration from legacy systems to SharePoint. • Ensured success of the program by focusing on change management strategies, including visible executive sponsorship, inviting employees to be a part of the process and through communication efforts which illustrated how the program would impact employees positively. Show less

• 

  Locus Systems Inc.

  Nov 2013 - May 2015

  Records Management Advisor

  • Provided support and guidance to Chief Records Officers in organizations regarding their records management programs, and with their Records requirements for Electronic Records Management (ECM) systems, including classifications, retention periods, taxonomies and legal holds. My guidance was valued for being pragmatic and objective advice from an external source and helped ensure that the companies’ records programs were first-rate.• Provided expertise concerning best practices through reference of standards such as ISO15489 and DoD 1505.2-STD to warrant that records programs and ECM systems were designed with best practices and requirements in mind.• Oversaw organizations migrate from shared drives to ECM systems including SharePoint and OpenText Content Server. Consulted in all phases of ECM systems design, including developing folder structures, permissions and attributes. Within utilities, this increased the collaborative capabilities of employees in various roles, from desks to the field.• Provided support and training around migration of content from shared drives and legacy systems to ECM systems and on the usage of ECM systems. Different training methods were created to suit different users, such as virtual training sessions and in-person sessions in a variety of locations. This helped ensure the successful adoption of the new systems while also serving as an effective tool in change management. Show less

• 

  ARMA International

  Jan 2014 - Jul 2019

  President - Toronto Chapter

  President: April 2017 - July 2019Vice President: June 2016 - August 2017Communications and Website Director: January 2014 - August 2017Provided strategic direction and guidance to the Board. Acted as a spokesperson and advocate for the Board and members. Stayed actively engaged and up to date with current issues in the field. Single-handedly designed and created a new and easy to navigate website for the chapter, resulting in significant savings for the chapter budget. Updated and maintained the website as required, posting job ads and events. Managed and developed content for the chapter's social media accounts. Assisted in the planning, coordination and implementation of chapter events of interest to members. Revamped the events and social media approach and website, resulting in a substantial increase in event attendance and member engagement. Show less

• 

  CIBC

  May 2015 - Oct 2017

  Records Manager

  • Implemented a records and information management program for the Finance Line of Business within CIBC, which ensured that the company’s records met legal requirements, while reducing risk and improving collaboration.• Provided strategic direction, support and training based on best practices and industry standards. • Oversaw 100 Records Officers who managed records on behalf of their business units, which resulted in each business unit taking greater accountability for their records.• Ensured compliance to laws and SOX controls through coordination of self-assessment testing and support of internal audits. • Successfully completed a move project involving the move of 700 staff and their records from various buildings to a single location. This project included reducing current cabinet storage requirements by over 50%, supporting digital transformation. Show less

• 

  CIBC Mellon

  Oct 2017 - Oct 2023

  AVP & Records Management Officer
• 

  DAMA (Data Management Association)

  Jun 2022 - Aug 2023

  Communications and Online Content Director - Toronto Board of Directors
• 

  CIBC

  Oct 2023 - now

  Enterprise Data and Records Management Director