The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has been a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (now Resource Center) since 1902. I’ve been the patents and government documents librarian here in the Reference Services Department since August, 2010, and the past year and a half or so has been, and continues to be, a huge learning experience.
Most of the people who come to us for patent or trademark help are walk-in patrons with very little idea of where to start. They tend to be first-time inventors, or are simply researching an invention they’ve heard of, so we offer a lot of hands on help and instruction to get them started.
While news for us as a PTRC has been mostly business as usual, the library system has had some big (and great!) changes in the past year. Mary Frances Hudson, our former Deputy Director, moved into the vacant Director slot. Another piece of exciting news is that we have gotten some much-needed budget relief, after voters in Pittsburgh overwhelmingly voted in favor of an additional property tax that would go to the library.