The Cincinnati Patent & Trademark Resource Center is located in the Information & Reference department of the Main Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County (PLCH). The Library has been a member of the PTRC since the program started, so we are lucky to have bound patents going back to the late 1840s. We even have British patents from 1640-1915.
Linda Kocis is the Intellectual Property Librarian and this past summer, for one of the Brain Camps, she created a program around the theme of World’s Fairs and the towers that were built for those Fairs. The campers created their own towers out of dry spaghetti and marshmallows, the tallest one displayed by the proud builders in the photo above. We then talked about other famous firsts at world’s fairs and used those firsts to discuss intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyright.
The Inventor’s Council of Cincinnati (ICC), which meets every month at the Main Library, hosted their inaugural First Filament Award, designed to help light the way toward new product commercialization. Three ICC members were honored with cash prizes to aid their efforts to develop, prototype, market, or protect their inventive products.
Perhaps the most exciting development at the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County was the opening of the new MakerSpace in January. (http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/main/makerspace.html). The ICC toured the space, as seen in the accompanying photo. They even saw one of the 3D printers in action.