The University of California, Riverside (UCR) Libraries recently celebrated our 5-year anniversary as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center. The PTRC resides in the recently named Raymond L. Orbach Science Library located in the heart of the science and engineering schools on campus. The PTRC was established at UCR to stimulate economic development and technology transfer within southern California. UCR is the only PTRC within the University of California 10-campus system and one of three centers located in southern California. There were many retirements in the libraries over the past year including Lynne Reasoner, our Government Publications librarian and former PTRC representative, who retired in June 2012 after many years of exemplary service. Dr. Ruth Jackson, University Librarian, who was instrumental in bringing a PTRC to UC Riverside, also retired in February 2013. Last month, Steven Mandeville-Gamble joined UCR Libraries as the new University Librarian, relocating from George Washington University.
This year we presented a new service to our PTRC patrons that reside a significant distance from the UCR campus. Using online classroom software, we offered the option of webinar consultations prior to scheduling an appointment on campus. A link was sent to the patron to log into a one-on-one session that allowed us to do short tutorials via screen sharing and answer questions online. We also continue to support a steady stream of community members that include restaurant owners, an electronic dance music group, and four former college roommates that reunited in a business venture 45 years later. During the summer and early fall, we also host several “Introduction to Intellectual Property” sessions for undergraduate/graduate science and engineering students.