2016 - Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association

Madison, WI

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Submitted by: Nancy Spitzer

Wendt Commons Library serves the UW College of Engineering, Computer Science, Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, and Statistics. The library has been a PTDL/PTRC since 1976.

The PTRC representative is Nancy Spitzer. Jody Hoesly, Assistant Director for Information Services, also specializes in patent and trademark information. We are excited that our colleague, Laura Schmidli, is now taking on more patent reference services and will be attending seminar this year. Laura is the Instruction and Information Services Librarian for Wendt. Continue reading

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Central Library/
Submitted by: Walt Johnson

I’ve been at the Minneapolis Central Library for 21 years, and my first PTRC Seminar was in 2002. The library joined the PTRC Program in 1981 and the collection is part of our Business/Science/Government Documents division.

For just over a year I’ve been working part-time in two libraries. Half time at the downtown Central Library and half-time at the Southdale location, one of the larger suburban branches. It’s been a great change of pace! Continue reading

Morgantown, WV

West Virginia University
Submitted by: Marian Armour-Gemmen

Evansdale Library at West Virginia University has been a depository since 1991. The Evansdale Library serves Engineering, Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, Education, Creative Arts and Physical Education. Independent as well as university inventors come to the Evansdale Library for assistance. I continue to work with university departments, WVU’s LaunchLab, the WVU Law School’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic and the WVU Office of Technology Transfer as well as independent inventors.

The WVU Law School participates in the USPTO Clinical Certification for Trademarks. Continue reading

Orlando, FL

University of Central Florida
Submitted by: Rebecca "Missy" Murphey

This has been a very active year for the Orlando PTRC. Upon Hal Mendelsohn’s retirement, he was recognized and honored for his outstanding service via a resolution by the PTRCA. After six months of shadowing Hal and studying his ways, I inherited the office of PTRC librarian from him in July 2015. After working as the library liaison to the entire College of Business Administration for the past three years, I have now switched to working with only two departments, Continue reading

Philadelphia, PA

Free Library of Philadelphia
Submitted by: Sharyl S. Overhiser

The Philadelphia PTRC is located in the Business Resource & Innovation Center (BRIC) of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s largest public library, the Parkway Central Library, which is located on the beautiful Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City Philadelphia. The Philadelphia PTRC has been located within the BRIC since approximately 2009, when it migrated from the Government Publications Department in the library. Somewhere back in the far mists of time, the Philadelphia PTRC was located at the Franklin Institute, Continue reading

Piscataway, NJ

Rutgers University Libraries
Submitted by: Connie Wu

2015 is a year with sadness and changes at Rutgers University Libraries (RUL), Piscataway, NJ

It was sad that our longtime colleague, Ellen Calhoun, passed away on December 17, 2015. Ellen joined the Rutgers Libraries in 1981 and received her tenure in 1988. She served as the primary representative to the US Patent and Trademark Resource Center since May 9, 1989. She has also worked as Circulation Librarian, Head of Reference Department, Continue reading

Rochester, NY

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County
Submitted by: Kate Meddaugh

The Chester F. Carlson PTRC is housed in the Science and History Division of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County; a large public library, in downtown Rochester. We became a PTRC back in May of 1999, and typically, our users are independent inventors with great ideas. This year was our second highest in in-person statistics (since keeping them).

One of the most exciting things happening around here is that our 3D printer is up and running!! Continue reading

Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah
Submitted by: Dave Morrison

Salt Lake PTRC Report, 2016

The Salt Lake City PTRC has been located within the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah since designation as a Patent Depository Library (PDL) in 1984 (trademarks were not yet a part of the Patent Depository program!). In subsequent years we became a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL), and now a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). The Marriott Library has also been a Government Publishing Office (GPO) depository since 1893; Continue reading

Seattle, WA

University of Washington, Engineering Library
Submitted by: Christina Byrne

The Engineering Library here at the University of Washington has been a PTRC since 1977. Next year will be our 40th anniversary! (Birthday? 🙂 ) A University group is working on identifying and documenting UW inventions, and research milestones to capture the UW’s history of innovation, so it may be something we can highlight as part of our 40 year history as a PDL/PTDL/PTRC.

My annual guest lecture on patents & trademarks for the UW Information School Government Publications class continues to be a standout program of our year. Continue reading

St. Louis, MO

Saint Louis Public Library
Submitted by: Spruce Fraser

Our PTRC is located in the Science and Technology Room of our Central Library. I have been working at the Saint Louis Public Library since 2002. Since I returned to the renovated Central Library in 2012, after offering patent and trademark reference at one of our regional branches for two years while the Central Library was being renovated.

I have been writing a blog for our PTRC (http://www.slplptrc.blogspot.com). Local inventor resources, events, and patent and trademark highlights are posted. Continue reading

State College, PA

Pennsylvania State University
Submitted by: John Meier

John Meier has been the PTRC librarian for University Park since 2007. He is a science librarian in the Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library which has 3 librarians and 2 full time staff. University Park is the largest of Penn State’s 23 campuses, but the University Libraries are one library system so many librarians and staff in other departments and campuses assist the PTRC. This year our university has started the Invent Penn State initiative http://invent.psu.edu/, Continue reading

Stillwater, OK

Oklahoma State University
Submitted by: Suzanne Reinman

The Oklahoma State University Library has been a Patent and Trademark Depository Library since 1956. We are housed in the main University Library and are part of the Government Documents Department, a regional depository for federal government documents. I am acting as interim head for government documents, so this has been taking more and more of my time!

Our PTRC continues to play a support role to other IP departments on campus in addition to working with independent inventors. Continue reading

Wichita, KS

Wichita State University Libraries
Submitted by: Nan Myers

The PTRC at Wichita State University Libraries is now participating in the implementation of the $7.1 million U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant awarded to Wichita State in October 2016 to rapidly accelerate multiple economic development efforts underway as part of the Innovation University initiative.

The funding, which was awarded to WSU Ventures, is aimed at creating valuable new manufacturing jobs to replace those lost in the defense industry. It will be used to develop and strengthen existing Wichita State institutes, Continue reading