2017 was a year of taking risks and making changes for the UMass Amherst Libraries PTRC. This past year I participated in the USPTO Patent Virtual Assistance Pilot Program for Pro Se inventors. Although the program has not taken off as hoped, it is a great opportunity for outreach and engagement with the inventor community. I also repurposed some space within the Science & Engineering Library to create a PTRC outreach station filled with self-serve materials as well as a collection of monographs related to patents and trademarks from across the spectrum. My work with patent coloring books continues. This has been an unexpected, fun, and low cost way of producing outreach materials that is of interest to a wide range of ages and groups. Lastly, I created an IP sticker to help brand my PTRC services and look forward to displaying them around campus and the wider community.
