I write to you today as probably the last President of PTDLA since we voted on a new name, “Patent and Trademark Resources Center Association” (PTRCA), in February and will probably adopt it into our bylaws in March.
We’ve seen changes in the program over the past year with its name change to Patent & Trademark Resource Center Program (PTRCP), the discontinuation of the CASSIS system and image discs, and the implementation of quarterly statistic taking.
The America Invents Act (112-29) is changing many aspects of the patent system and the Cooperative Patent Classification will soon change the USPTO classification system.
As libraries in PTRCA we have challenges ahead in staying relevant with more and more online resources and search tools. We need to continue our outreach so that the public is aware of our resources. We need to keep up with newer technology and care for our old resources as old technology is dropped: what do we do with our patent volumes and Patent & Trademark DVDs?
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming seminar where we will hear about changes to the USPTO system, learn about new technologies, and have opportunities to network. Be sure to attend the Meet and Greet Reception on Monday, March 26, 2012 from 5:00-6:30 at the USPTO Museum. On Thursday, March 29th we will host a lunch business meeting (for all PTRCs) followed by best practices presentations by your colleagues.
–Marian Armour-Gemmen
Skip to content