2025 - Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association

Aberdeen, SD

Northern State University -Beulah Williams Library
Submitted by: Nicole Christiansen

Poster presentation about PTRCs with SDSU (Brookings, SD) Rep at South Dakota Library Association annual meeting (September 2024)
Met with/worked with the Director of the Northern Innovation and Startup Center to give overview of IP
Working with the Northern Innovation and Startup Center for presentation on IP – upcoming (April 22)

Nicole Christiansen

Akron, OH

Akron-Summit County Public Library
Submitted by: Curtis Bower

PTRC staff – Curtis Bower and Chris Schmidt
For the 2nd annual Bookfest at Main Library, held a Q & A session on copyrights with a registered patent attorney. The event was very popular
Working with our Small Business and Non-Profit Resource Center to spread the importance of IP in a business venture
We teach 2 IP programs regularly at Main Library: “Introduction to Intellectual Property” and “Introduction to Patents and Patent Searching“
One-on-one meetings with customers to talk about IP or teach one of our classes to someone who is unable to make a scheduled class
Curtis continues to work on the Summit County Patent Index,

Albany, NY

New York State Library
Submitted by: Stephanie Barrett

Integrating patents into many of our activities and social media
Working with Eastern Regional Office to put on virtual patent programs
Stuffie sleepover patents of stuffed animals will be part of the experience
Hope to have a speaker on baseball patents

Stephanie Barrett standing next to the world’s largest newspaper

Amherst, MA

University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Submitted by: Rebecca Reznik-Zellen

PTRC Libguide
We expanded staff support of PTRC and have a new contact email ([email protected])
- Madeleine Charney
- Lisa Di Valentino
- Brendan Kelly
- Rebecca Reznik-Zellen
We continue to create Quirky Patent Coloring Books, an outreach effort spearheaded by former PTRC librarian Paulina Borrego

Quirky Patent Coloring Book

PTRC Display at the Science & Continue reading

Ann Arbor, MI

The University of Michigan
Submitted by: Leena Lalwani

Ann Arbor PTRC is located in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library (AAEL) in the Duderstadt Center at the University of Michigan.
Five engineering librarians: Sarah Barbrow, Paul Grochowski, Luesoni Kuck, Leena Lalwani, & Jamie Niehof
Librarians have given instruction about patents to 12 Capstone/Design classes on patents as well as presented at 2 patent classes and held one open workshop.
Our Patent and Trademark Research Guide at http://guides.lib.umich.edu/patents, includes a tutorial and an easy downloadable flyer.

Arlington, TX

The University of Texas at Arlington
Submitted by: Anette Moreno-Lozano

Designated a PTRC on October 23rd, 2024
PTRC staff:
- John Bayhi, Director of Research Services
- Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano, Engineering Librarian
Main Support:
- Provide instruction to use the USPTO databases by appointment to the public and the UTA community
- One-on-one consultations in English and Spanish
- Assistance in using the USPTO’s directory to find local patent attorneys
- UTA PTRC LibGuide

Cooperative efforts:
- 1-2 patent workshops offered each semester.

Atlanta, GA

Georgia Tech Library
Submitted by: Li Zhang

The new PTRC representative is Li Zhang
Provided individual trainings for graduate students on using patent databases
Aided public members in the use of patent tools
Provided consultations for high school students who were interested in applying for patents
Reached out to IP related units and programs on campus

Auburn, AL

Auburn University
Submitted by: Andrew Wohrley

Met with Troy Brady and Patrick Reed to discuss how the Patent and Trademark Resource Center could support activities of IP Exchange
Participated in Patent and Invention Disclosure Committee meeting. The committee sets policy for the IP Exchange Office, which coordinates and files patents for Auburn University researchers
Talked to colleague Ashley McGuire at UAB about being a PTRC. I encouraged her to apply to the PTRC Office to become a PTRC
Meeting on Zoom with Dr.

Austin, TX

University of Texas – Austin
Submitted by: Larayne Dallas

We encourage service by phone and over Zoom, and that works well
As compared with the past, we have been getting more questions about how to properly communicate with the USPTO, especially when things haven’t gone well
Still getting support from retired colleagues who had helped get our Patent Depository Library (PTDL) designation on June 16, 1983
Susan Ardis, former Head of the Engineering Library, lives just outside of Austin,

Baton Rouge, LA

Louisiana State University
Submitted by: Kendall Caple

A display related to IP or entrepreneurship
A program that had terrific turnout
- LSU Libraries’ Constitution Day Table-Sit and Trivia, which featured information pertaining to the Constitution’s Patent and Copyright Clause
Cooperative efforts with inventor groups

Kendall Caple at the Constitution Day table

Bayou Brilliance display cases

Birmingham, AL

Birmingham Public Library
Submitted by: Mary Beth Newbill

Myself and my co-worker, Jason Burks, are the two staff who primarily assist patrons with patent and trademark questions.
We have both been at the Birmingham Public Library for over 25 years.
This photo was taken in the reading room of our historic research library which was built in 1927.

Mary Beth Newbill and Jason Burks

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech University Libraries
Submitted by: Sarah Over

Continuing partnership with our Science, Technology & Law undergraduate minor program, teaching patent searching annually
New partnership with Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus and Invention Virginia for K-12 outreach
Produced short video series for kids/parents for IP education
Revising workshop offerings this year and integrating AI considerations
Candy and toys still a hit for searching, playing and eating!
Increasing customers for 2025, especially with student design teams

Jim Miller and Sarah Over at the K-12 invention event Continue reading

Burlington, VT

University of Vermont
Submitted by: Graham Sherriff

UVM PTRC Coordinator Graham Sherriff continued providing patent instruction to capstone project teams in Biomedical, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.

Graham Sherriff

Brianna Morales

We recently welcomed Brianna Morales as our new Business Librarian. Brianna will be the lead librarian for trademark instruction and research assistance.
As part of a website redesign, we re-wrote our website information describing the PTRC’s services and resources.

Cheyenne, WY

Wyoming State Library
Submitted by: Anne Kuipers

Hosted and recorded a webinar on the Wyoming State Library’s Patent Digital Collection (a collection of all patents issued to people living in the state of Wyoming) and a webinar on the Wyoming State Trademark Digital Collection
Given one-on-one training to all new Small Business Development Centers mentors in the state
Presented at the state library conference about USPTO educational materials

Clemson, SC

Clemson University – R.M. Cooper Library
Submitted by: Jennifer Groff

Outreach: I led a workshop about patents and provided patent searching tips for a South Carolina high school’s Project Lead the Way (PLTW) students in September 2024.
I continued 1:1 patent searching consultations with all of Clemson’s Bioengineering Senior Design teams and had more than 33 consultations since last year’s Seminar (a mix of 1st and 2nd semester students). My STEM librarian colleagues at Clemson have started to assist with these consultations,

College Park, MD

University of Maryland
Submitted by: Jim Miller

Those active with PTRC work:
- Jim Miller, PTRC Rep (Patent & Trademark Librarian)
- Nevenka Zdravkovska (Head, STEM Library) Sarah Weiss (Open Science/STEM Librarian)
- Isabella Baxter (Agriculture Librarian)
- Milan Budhathoki (GIS & Data Librarian)
- Russ Allen, PTRCA webmaster; major help on our Plant Patent color image site https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/search

Events in 2024
- May 6 – Isabella Baxter presented a poster “Plant Patent Color Image Database and Visualization” at USAIN / CBHL conference at Michigan State University
- May 9 –