USPTO Rebrands National Library Network as Patent and Trademark Resource Centers
(via INFOdocket) From the USPTO: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) [recently] announced that its nationwide network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) will become known as Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) on October 1, 2011. The name change signifies a major shift in focus from the “paper depository” concept to an expansion of access to electronic information and specialized training to meet the information needs of 21st Century patent and trademark customers. Currently, PTRC designated libraries can be found in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This network of more than 80 public, academic, state and special libraries assists a variety of customers including inventors, intellectual property attorneys/agents, business people, researchers, entrepreneurs, students and historians. [Clip] The modern PTRC network has its foundations in the 1800’s when Congress provided printed copies of patents to libraries for use by the public. The USPTO established training support and membership standards for these diverse libraries in 1977. Continue reading
Video: Towson University Joins FDLP
This new 4:16 video from the GPO was recorded during a September 19, 2011 when Townson University became a FDLP member. The video includes comments from Public Printer Bill Boarman and Congressman John Sarbanes. ">Direct to Video (via YouTube) Continue reading
PACER Fee Increase To Take Effect April 1, 2012
From USCourts.gov: An increase in the electronic public access (EPA) fee, from eight cents to 10 cents per page, will take effect on April 1, 2012. Earlier this month, the Judicial Conference of the United States authorized an increase in the federal judiciary’s electronic public access fee in response to increasing costs for maintaining and enhancing the electronic public access system. [Clip] Local, state and federal government agencies will be exempted from the increase for three years. Moreover, PACER users who do not accrue charges of more than $15 in a quarterly billing cycle would not be charged a fee. (The current exemption is $10 per quarter.) The expanded exemption means that 75 to 80 percent of all users will still pay no fee. Continue reading
New Report Looks at Social Media Usage by Members of the U.S. Congress
Via INFOdocket.com From the Medill News Service (For the Associated Press): Eight of 10 members of Congress are tweeting and using Facebook, but only a handful use the social media sites to reach out to one of their most elusive constituent groups – Millennials, according to some experts. [Clip] Despite the fact that more than 80 percent of Congress is on Facebook and Twitter, only a handful communicate with Millennials in a meaningful way. “I think there is room for improvement with everyone across the board, no matter where you are ideologically, in talking to young people,” said Ron Meyer of Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth advocacy group. The article includes two sidebar with statistics. Here are a couple of examples: * Rep. Darrell Issa — @DarrellIssa — , R-San Diego, is the most frequent tweeter, averaging 13.6 tweets per day. * Two-thirds of congressional tweeters predominately use Twitter.com directly. The other third uses Twitter applications. The most commonly used application is TweetDeck, with 12.7 percent of congressional offices using the application more often than not. * The most popular day of the week to tweet on Capitol Hill is Wednesday. One member, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher — @DanaRohrabacher — R-Huntington Beach, tweets most on Sundays. He also replies the most often: 56.4 percent of his tweets are replies. Read the Complete Article Continue reading
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