PTRC News for 2013

2012 has been both a year of change and a year of business as usual for us here at the Akron Summit County Public Library, Science and Technology Department. First, we got a new supervisor in Monique Mason in September. Monique replaced Valerie Sherman when Valerie was promoted to the Collection Development Department. We are very happy for Monique and welcome her as our new supervisor. We are currently rearranging our Main Library, combining departments etc. Continue reading

This past year I continued to learn about patents and trademarks since becoming the PTRC representative in 2009. UMass Amherst has been part of the PTRC program since 1984 and throughout that time a number of different people have been involved with the program. At this point in time I am the only person involved with patent and trademarks but am part of a larger team that deals with government information in general.

I am located in the Science & Continue reading

Collaborating with the Inventors Association of Georgia (IAG), the PTRC at the Georgia Tech Library organized the “Inventing the Future 2012” – a whole day seminar in the brand new Clough Commons building, on Saturday, April 21, 2012, About 160 enthusiastic inventors, students and professionals participated in the seminar which covered topics such as how the new law (the American Invent Act) affects inventors; provisional application for patents best practices; technology commercialization and licensing, as well as tips for manufacturing and business development. Continue reading

The Government Documents Department in the Birmingham Public Library experienced a change in leadership during 2012. The Department, which houses the Patent and Trademark collection, was combined with the Southern History Department in August. The current department head is Ben Petersen. He replaces Jim Murray, who successfully assisted a patron last year in filing for a trademark for a cartoon character.

The Wyoming State Library (WSL) became a PTRC in 2005. I am the sole staff member within the PTRC, and additionally manage the Federal Depository Library Program here at WSL. We are the only PTRC in the state and consequently, serve the entire population of Wyoming. Our state population is approximately 544,000. As a consequence, the majority of my service is distance (phone and email) versus one-on-one interactions here at WSL.

Our PTRC website includes our service information, Continue reading

Greetings to my treasured PTRC Colleagues. I am so sorry that I am unable to be with you this year. But I KNOW you will have a great time and you will learn so much.
It has been a pretty typical year for me here at Clemson. I am still the Engineering Reference Librarian, and the primary contact for all things related to intellectual property. Due to retirements and some successful recruiting, we have added two new positions in our Unit – one for e-Science, Continue reading

Out-going Patent Librarian Steven Gaither helped coordinate a USPTO “America Invents Act Roadshow” at Dallas Public Library. The audience of 170 attendees included patent attorneys, patent agents, and independent inventors.

Patent Librarian Greg Browder attended the Texas Inventors Association meetings in July and November, where he networked with local inventors and distributed information from the Dallas Public Library’s PTRC. During introductory remarks at the July meeting, Association President and Patent Attorney Robert Wise commended the PTRC as a useful resource for area inventors. Continue reading

The last year has been a busy one for us. All of Michigan was proud and excited when the first USPTO Detroit Satellite Office opened on June 13. The opening ceremony was well attended. Thanks to this, our visibility as a PTRC was enhanced. We participated in the Detroit Maker Faire on July 28, sharing an information booth with the USPTO. Our HYPE Teen Center also had a booth, displaying the creations from our DIY group, Continue reading