Transcript The Role of the Patent and Trademark Librarian in the Digital Age Karen Stanley Grigg North Carolina State University Libraries.

The Role of the Patent and Trademark
Librarian in the Digital Age
Karen Stanley Grigg
North Carolina State University Libraries
The changing digital world requires Patent and
Trademark Depository Librarians to serve new
ways roles in providing access to patent and
trademark services and collections.
Presentation Topics
 Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program
(PTDLP)
 Stakeholders
 Time and Location- Independent Services and
Collections
 Evaluation of USPTO searching tools
 Changing Roles of the Patent and Trademark
Librarian
What is the PTDLP?
 PTDLP launched in 1871.
 Purpose- to decentralize patent and
trademark information.
 Originally 22 libraries, now 4 times that
amount.
 Half of PTDLs are public, half academic.
Who are the
stakeholders?
 Faculty
 As inventors
 As instructors
 Students
 As inventors
 As scholars
 Extension Community
 General Public
Evolution of USPTO
Searching Tools
 Print tools until 1988.
 CASSIS system launched in 1988.
 USPTO web site launched in 1996.
 CASSIS concurrently maintained along with
Web database.
Traditional Service Model
 Undistributed.
 Not time and location- independent.
 In academic library, main focus on external
patrons.
 Little time left to promote patent and
trademark information to internal patrons.
Can we apply distance
learning model to PTDLP?
 Universities showing growing commitment to
time and location-independent services.
 This model is successful with students- why
not use with services to outside patrons?
 Geographical separation of patrons from
PTDL.
Independent inventor a good
candidate to be a distance learner
 Inventors autonomous and self-directed.
 Number of Americans with internet access
increasing dramatically.
 Home computer users have high expectations
of what the Web can deliver.
Evaluation of USPTO
Searching Tools
 By 2000, the USPTO added all U.S. patent images
back to 1790. However…
 full text searchability limited.
 TIFF format used- requires separate plug-in.
 prints one page at a time.
 USPTO is maintaining upkeep for two separate
search systems.
 CASSIS interface difficult to use and unavailable
remotely.
Changing Roles of Librarians in
Digital Environment
 New roles emerging:
 Technological Liaison
 Curriculum Advisor
 Trainer
 Advocate for patrons to the USPTO
Technological Liaison
 Creation of matrix that identifies questions that can
and cannot be answered remotely.
 Creation of support tools
 web sites
 multimedia tutorials
 Partnership with USPTO to enhance search tools
and collections.
Examples of helpful tools
Patent Search Tutorial and Information University of Texas
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/patenttutorial/index.htm
NCSU Libraries: North Carolina’s Patent and
Depository Library Partner.
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ptdl/
Curriculum Advisor
 Partnerships with:
 Instruction librarians
 Relevant departments and faculty
 Curriculum- integrated instruction model allows for
building these skills into the curriculum.
Role as Trainer
 Decentralized service model requires greater
competencies of all reference staff.
 Tiered service model.
Tiered Service Model
 Three tiers:
 First tier should be required of all reference staff.
 Second tier will be distributed to “backups”.
 The third tier - patent and trademark subject
specialist.
 Begins with understanding of two types of patent
questions- known and unknown….
Known Patent Questions
 Patron is looking for something believed to exist.
 Known Patent Questions are often easiest for beginners.
 Some examples:
 “My great-grandfather invented a widget in the 1920s
or 1930s and I am trying to find a record of the
patent.”
 “This journal article references US Patent number
5,146,634 and I need a copy of the patent.”
 “I am trying to print a list of all the trademarks held by
Ocean Spray Corporation.”
Unknown Patent
Questions
 Usually exist when researching the uniqueness of
invention or trademark and searching for prior art.
 Challenges:
 Complexity- must use classification system.
 Legal issues- cannot give any legal advice.
 Unlike most searches, goal is to NOT find
results.
Development of Tiered
Service Model
Competencies, all
Reference Staff (Tier One)
The ability to…
 Conduct the reference interview;
 Assist patrons with basic known patent and
trademark questions; and
 Identify and assist patentability patrons.
Tier Two Reference Staff
 All of the competencies expected of Tier One
Reference Staff plus:
The ability to:
 Use print indexes for more complex questions;
 Handle patrons with more challenging patentability
questions; and
 Assist when reference staff are overwhelmed by
other desk traffic.
Patent and Trademark
Librarian
 All of the competencies expected of Tier One
and Tier Two Reference Staff plus:
The ability to:
 Handle difficult reference questions that Tier
One or Tier Two Reference Staff have not
been able to answer.
 Provide reference training.
Patent and Trademark
Librarian, cont.
 Integrate patent and trademark instruction into the
curriculum where appropriate;
 Maintain patent and trademark collections;
 Administer the duties the USPTO requires of
PTDLs; and
 Serve as an advocate to the USPTO for patron
needs.
Advocate for Patrons to
the USPTO
 Communication with USPTO about patron
needs.
 CASSIS- still necessary?
 Full text availability.
 Navigability of USPTO web.
Reference Assistance to the
Technologically Challenged
 USPTO withdrawing many paper tools.
 Must strategize on providing services to
technologically challenged.
 Staffing issues… Referral often necessary.
Conclusion
 Using distance learning model is completely in line
with mission and values of the PTDLP.
 New service model allows patent librarians to serve
new and more valuable roles.
 Ultimately, the long-term goal of both the USPTO
and the PTDL should be to work towards creating
systems that are convenient and easily accessible to
all Americans from the privacy of their own homes
or closest public libraries.