It was pretty much business as usual at the Minneapolis Central Library of the Hennepin County Library system. I presented my patent talk each month, and although the audience is smaller than it used to be, the attendees are very focused and eager to learn about patents and patent searching.
A local patent attorney was back again with his “Traps and Pitfalls of Intellectual Property” class that he does on a quarterly basis. Entrepreneurs and small businesses really find the class very helpful.
I often got calls and emails from people living throughout Minnesota, trying to track down old patents from relatives. The good ol’ Annual Reports indexes are still used a lot!
When I’m not around, my colleague Carrie Brunsberg and supervisor Helen Burke are ready to assist our IP customers.
Minneapolis Central was designated a PTDL in 1980 and became fully functional in 1981, thanks mainly to a local attorney who campaigned and raised money to get the library to join the program. I’m proud to be part of this PTDL for the last 16 years.