Quantum² : InfoStars : Carol Ginsburg

Carol Ginsburg

Bankers Trust's Carol Ginsburg

A committed, dynamic leader, she's constantly on the move—both mentally and physically. Ms. Ginsburg is the vice president at Bankers Trust in charge of library and information services. As a result of a recent reorganization, she now reports to the head of the bank's Global Information Delivery department, along with such heavyweights as Network Support and Trading Floor Support. What does this bode for the Information Center? For one thing, more visibility for the information function. For another, more travel for Ms. Ginsburg. She recently returned from Asia, where she started Information Centers in Hong Kong and Tokyo. "I'm looking forward to this challenge," says Ms. Ginsburg, " and to learning more about the unique information needs and information sources for this region of the world."

Ms. Ginsburg is no novice at starting Information Centers. Twelve years ago, she joined the company for this purpose, bringing a vision of the pro-active Information Center with her. "It's so important to explain the value of information to our clients and to reiterate how we can help them do their jobs better," Ms. Ginsburg emphasizes. "We have an internal newsletter that goes to our banker clients. We also try to get to them when they're new to the bank. Then they become accustomed to our services and automatically think of the Information Center when they need help."

What does it take to build a successful Information Center at Bankers Trust? "Eyes in the back of your head," says Ms. Ginsburg, laughing. She's referring to the ability to pay attention to even the most minute trends in the industry. "We read the banking press daily to keep abreast of trends in the financial services industry. We also make sure we're not left behind in our own field by following literature on information and technology. The newer technologies, such as information agents, groupware, and image databases, have a tremendous impact both on the way the bank does business and how we in the information field operate."

Ms. Ginsburg receives regular visits from vendors. Her approach is to evaluate products in light of how well they meet the bank's overall information needs and whether the price is reasonable. "The goal of the Information Center is to act as a guide to the world of information. When a new information product comes on the market, I don't just jump: I try to determine how it would benefit our bankers. For example, I realized early on that CD-ROMs would be very useful for bankers to search themselves. So I'm watching the newer varieties, the ones that include images, which are particularly suited for some of our clients to use directly."

She doesn't call herself a consultant, but in many ways Ms. Ginsburg functions as one. She is not afraid to tell high-level officers at Bankers Trust that there are some things they can do for themselves. There's no defensiveness here, no sense that the Information Center is a fiefdom that should have sole responsibility for and authority over information. "My ultimate goal," she declares, "is to make Bankers Trust officers information independent."

So why have librarians? "Our profession is important in many ways," begins Ms. Ginsburg. "First off, we're the guides. There's a mass of information out there and we help our clients make sense out of it. Second, we're the thinkers. We remember what is important to our clients. If we see something on a company someone is following or a topic we were asked about last week, we'll pass it on. We're always on the alert. We stay aware of what's important."

Ms. Ginsburg is looking forward to the future. "I honestly believe that librarianship is the best profession in the world. I don't just mean librarians in the corporate world, either. All librarians impart the value of information." The objective value is readily quantified in the corporate world, however. "The reason we provide information is to further the money making activities of our parent institution. When Bankers Trust is profitable, the Information Center is partly responsible."

Nothing stays static in Ms. Ginsburg's world, and she is enthusiastic about the evolution of libraries and Information Centers. "In the future, I expect our jobs will be different—but they will be wonderful."

Listening to Ms. Ginsburg, it's easy to understand why Bankers Trust places such value on her department. Committed to making both the Information Center and the parent company the very best they can be, Carol Ginsburg is an InfoStar.

In the past years, Carol’s life has continued to change. She was the first librarian to be promoted to the title Managing Director in the financial services industry. She merged the Bankers Trust Global Information Network with the Deutsche Bank Business Information Services when those two institutions merged. Carol headed up a Global Network of Information Professionals upon whom the “sun never set.” She smiles when she talks of her “A Team” who were committed to sharing resources, intelligence and supported each other willingly. She also continued to teach in NY area Graduate Schools of Information Science as an adjunct.

Life again took a new turn in July 2002 when Carol retired from Deutsche Bank. She continued to teach and is now a principal in CLG Consulting. Her firm provides consulting services to the information profession as well as to information providers. Retirement only meant new challenges to Carol.