Hi from Rae Shepherd-Shlechter at the Louisville Free Public Library. 2011 was a banner year.
We had a rebirth of sorts of the Louisville Metro Inventors Council. I got coverage in the Courier Journal, so it was a bit of a media coup. My favorite quote from the article was: “My goal is to train you so you can do a (patent) search from the comfort of your home with your bunny slippers and a bottle of beer…” A modest goal but an important one, in my opinion.
I was able to attend and distribute packets to the Central Kentucky Inventors Council in October at the 7th Annual Inventors Conference. This group is probably the longest running and most robust inventors group in the state, so I’m honored that they are rather fond of me. There were 150 participants at the conference, so it was a great opportunity to meet and greet inventors from all over the state and quite a number from the surrounding region.
I tried to increase my outreach activities this year, and I have had some modest success. Southern Indiana’s Small Business Development Center in New Albany, IN (right on Louisville’s border on the north) has sent a number of intellectual property clients my way and even located a test kitchen for some of my foodie clients. SCORE and Louisville’s Small Business Development Center continue to refer clients to me as does a new group in town, the Community Action Partnership. LFPL has a strong commitment to helping the inventor or trademark client market his/her intellectual property; thus, most of my referrals result from a recommendation from local business associations.
I hold monthly patents and trademarks workshops in our Computer Learning Center, and I schedule Librarian-is-in sessions for intellectual property clients. They may book me for a 45-minute session on any intellectual property-related question they want. Since I am also the Business and Marketing Librarian for LFPL, I am more than willing to help the clients with the commercial aspects of the patent or trademark. I also get a fair amount of business with copyright-related questions.
My goal this year is to establish better ties with the Innovation and Commercialization Center in Louisville. This group is part of the Chamber of Commerce of Louisville and is one of the six centers in the state. http://www.startupkentucky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120&Itemid=164. Wish me luck.
Rae Shepherd-Shlechter
Patents and Trademarks Librarian
Louisville Free Public Library
March 1, 2011