No big or drastic changes at Minneapolis Central (Hennepin County library system) during 2012. A couple highlights:
For the first time I did a couple “patent talks” at one of our suburban libraries in addition to my monthly class downtown. Turnout was good and I’ll continue to do more during 2013. In September Minneapolis Central was one of eight PTRCs to host the AIA Roadshow. Between the attendees at the library and those who viewed it online, approximately 225 folks learned more about the America Invents Act. The people at the library seemed to be mostly from the legal profession.
On November 17 the Star Tribune newspaper published a story about what I do as a PTRC librarian, “Helping Inventors Chase Their Dreams”. See http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=179712961 for the story. I thought the reporter did a great job and I even liked the photo that accompanied the story.
Once again a lawyer from the LegalCORPS organization presented his “Traps & Pitfalls in Intellectual Property” class for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
I became President of the PTRCA and it’s been a quiet year so far!