March 15 will mark the second year that the Arkansas State Library (PTRC since 1983) has been at our new location at 900 W. Capitol Ave in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Arkansas State Library continues to evolve and change. We are currently in the midst of making changes to the location and layout of our Patents and Trademark area. Presently, our patents area is located on the second floor near the conference rooms. This summer we hope to move the patents to the first floor into a new patents and trademark area located near our federal microfiche. This new location with a patents desk will provide easier access to the collections along with easier public access.
The second major change is the designation of one of our reference librarians as a patents and trademark/reference librarian. This librarian along with providing reference assistance will focus primarily on the patents and trademark collection, staying up-to-date on patent information, and providing patent instruction to the public.
We are also looking forward to co-hosting with our state Small Business and Technology Development Center a patent/trademark seminar in August of this year for Arkansas inventors. Plans include having two or three person from the USPTO to lead the seminar.
Finally, the name of the division that oversees patents and trademarks will change from State Library Services to Information Services beginning in July.