Elizabeth Kim , Gothamist; Mayor Mamdani restores library funding after public outcry
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani is turning the page on a plan that would have cut funding to New York City libraries...
But library supporters wasted no time mobilizing against the cuts. NYC PLAN, which is made up of library patrons and staff members, held a rally for libraries in March. They also launched an online campaign describing the mayor’s preliminary budget as “terrible” for the city’s libraries."
Jamese Platt, Pittsburgh's Public Source ; CCAC’s push to sell off library books leaves empty shelves
This year the Community College of Allegheny County culled around 30,000 books from its collection, and library staff claim they had little say. Experts say academic book weeding should be a careful, gradual process.
"The Community College of Allegheny County has culled 35,000 books from its library collection. Some library staff members said they never received a clear explanation for the large and fast-paced “book weeding” — a common process in libraries, but one usually done gradually, according to some library management professionals.
On March 10, CCAC’s website announced an upcoming book sale taking place for one week across the college’s main and branch campuses. Books, DVDs and CDs were available for $1, with proceeds supporting a textbook fund for CCAC students.
“New media, such as electronic media including databases, e-texts and streaming media are in higher demand now as sources of information in community college libraries,” wrote Stephen Wells, CCAC’s provost and chief academic officer, in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source. “We are shifting resources to provide the resources our students need...
Bryanna Biehl, a CCAC student studying microbiology, worked as a volunteer during the book sale. She said she feels conflicted about the current state of the library. While she found the book sale enjoyable and was glad to increase her book collection, empty shelves on the Boyce Campus in Monroeville upset her.
“Seeing it after the sale, it’s kind of heartbreaking,” Biehl said. “I frequent the library a lot. I would like a physical space to read … That’s what you expect when you go to the library, but seeing all those empty shelves that used to be full of books, it sucks as a student, as a reader, really.”
According to Jenkins, what remains of the CCAC libraries is a skeleton of its former self. “We don’t really have a real collection,” he said. “The damage that has been done, you can’t heal that.”
Thonnia Lee , Tuskegee University; Tuskegee University Alumna Helps Push Through Patent and Trademark Resource Center Designation
"Thanks to the dedication of Tuskegee University alumna Charesse Evans, Tuskegee University Libraries received official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the federal agency responsible for protecting inventions, creative designs, and other innovations.
This means Tuskegee University can now provide trademark and patent assistance through our library staff.
“As a patent attorney and intellectual property professional with over two decades of experience, I am incredibly proud to have played a role in helping Tuskegee University achieve official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC),” said Evans, a Senior Advisor to Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “This designation holds particular significance for me, both personally and professionally. Throughout my career, I have collaborated with numerous institutions across the country to support and protect intellectual property. It is an absolute honor to witness my alma mater become an integral part of this essential ecosystem that nurtures the brilliant minds being shaped at the university and within the surrounding community.”...
The Tuskegee University PTRC will support residents who want to patent an invention or register a trademark. The university team is trained to help inventors and small businesses find the information they need to protect their intellectual property."
"The only official Patent & Trademark Resource Center in the state has been offering its services for nearly 25 years. Recently, it’s become a tool used more frequently by WVU students building businesses involving intellectual property, Marian Armour-Gemmen, the patent and trademark librarian at Evansdale Library, told The West Virginia Record... The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has a network of official resource centers all over the country at public, state and academic libraries. It is designed to assist the public, and library staff are trained in using USPTO search tools to find the patent and trademark information. The records have changed over the years — from hard paper copies to microfiche to DVDs to online databases — but the premise is the same, Armour-Gemmen said. “It’s really important to find a similar patent to your invention,” she said. “No invention stands alone. We don’t live in a vacuum — we’re influenced by somebody. It’s important to find ones that are similar to your invention so you can show how yours is novel.” The centers are an important resource because of the value of intellectual property. The stakes are high for an inventor or business owner looking to protect their ideas or to avoid infringing on someone else’s — a mistake that can cost a lot of money."
