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August 17th, 2018
Many at Purdue know about (and have likely benefited from using) Purdue University Libraries’ robust research resources (online and in print), as well as cutting-edge services (e.g., 3D printing, data visualization, data management, research and scholarly communication support… the list goes on). What some individuals may not completely understand, though: How Purdue University Libraries faculty members contribute to instruction, teaching, and learning at Purdue.
In addition to serving as instructors and co-instructors in courses across the disciplines and majors here at Purdue, Libraries’ faculty members also perform important liaison duties to help faculty in all disciplines connect their students to important and authoritative information in their respective fields.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to the Purdue Libraries faculty liaisons and share a bit about what they each do in their librarian, instructor, liaison, and/or information specialist roles.
This week, we start by introducing David (“Dave”) Zwicky, assistant professor of library science and chemical information specialist at Purdue Libraries. His liaison responsibilities include the departments of chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials engineering. He is also a patent and trademark specialist, affiliated with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) program.
His work through the PTRC is an invaluable resource here at Purdue, particularly for those who are interested in patents and want to understand how they are and can be used in business and industry.
“Patents help you avoid repeating work other people have done, they can inspire new designs, and expired patents are pieces of technology that are in the public domain, free to be built upon and adapted,” explained Zwicky. They also let you know what technologies other companies are exploring (they’re a key part of competitive intelligence analysis). And, of course, if you can get a patent on your own invention, that’s incredibly powerful when you want to commercialize it,” he added.
Following is a brief overview, through a short Q&A, of how Professor Zwicky advances teaching and learning at Purdue, through his direct work with students and faculty.
Q. Tell me a bit about your background, what you do here as a faculty member in Purdue Libraries, and your role as the patent and trademark specialist in the Libraries.
Professor Zwicky: As the chemical information specialist, I work with folks in my liaison departments to support research, incorporate information literacy into courses, build collections, and just generally see that their information needs are met.
Before I became a librarian, I was actually a chemical engineer (with my B.S. and M.S. in the field), and I was on my way to a Ph.D., but I decided I couldn’t see myself working in the field. I had worked in my undergraduate university’s engineering library and I knew that STEM and library science could be complementary, so I switched over and got an master’s degree in library and information science. It’s been a great experience, and my two different areas of study and former career practice work really well together.
I’m also Purdue University’s representative to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s PTRC (Patent & Trademark Resource Center) program. We’re an outreach organization affiliated with the USPTO, which tries to help people in our communities learn more about patents and trademarks. This usually means teaching students and entrepreneurs about the basics of the patent system and how they can do their own patent searching.
I do this through courses, through workshops, and through one-on-one consultations. Patents are a different beast than other forms of information, harder to search, and harder to use. One of my specialties is breaking them down and showing people how to work with them effectively. I’ve been a patent librarian for about nine years (at my last job and here at Purdue), and I’m currently the president of the PTRC Association (the professional group for PTRC reps).
Q. Why are patents important sources of information for faculty and student researchers?
Professor Zwicky: Patents are important for researchers for a few reasons. The big, obvious reason is that researchers might want to get patents of their own. If they invent something novel and useful, they may want to patent and commercialize it, which is great for both the researcher and for the University. That said, I really want to get people to think how patents can be useful beyond their entrepreneurial applications. Patents have the potential to give researchers insight into research and development that goes on outside of academia. If you’re working in industry and you invent something important, you may not write an academic article or present at a scholarly conference; you’re almost certainly going to apply for a patent. These publicly available documents dramatically expand the scope of the scientific literature, particularly in applied areas.
Q. Through you, how does Purdue Libraries and Purdue U. collaborate with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent and Trademark Research Center?
Professor Zwicky: The PTRC program is aimed at outreach. Personnel at the USPTO realize that entrepreneurs around the country need to know about intellectual property (especially independent inventors), and they know not everyone can come to the main patent office in Alexandria (Virginia). So they’ve set up this program, which links 80-odd libraries (public, government, and academic) from around the country with the USPTO and each other. If someone in our area has a need for a patent or trademark consultation, the USPTO can refer that individual to us for the basic level of training. In exchange, the Purdue Libraries get access to USPTO training and resources.
In practice, this means that I meet with people from Purdue, Lafayette, and West Lafayette, and our general area of Indiana and Illinois (the other PTRCs in our area are Chicago Public Library and Indianapolis Public Library) and talk to them about patents and trademarks. I am not a lawyer and I can’t answer any legal questions, but I can explain the overall process and show them the publicly available tools they can use to do their own searching. I also use what I’ve learned through this program to teach about intellectual property.
Q. What does it mean that you have liaison responsibilities with the Purdue departments of chemistry, chemical engineering and materials engineering?
Professor Zwicky: My liaison responsibilities mean I’m the point of contact for people in those departments (faculty, staff, and students) when they have information needs. Is there a book they think we should add to the Libraries’ collection? Do they need help finding a specific reference or doing a broader literature search? Do they want to incorporate information literacy into their courses? I’m here to help with all of that and more.
Q. How does patent research apply to the work you do with faculty and students teaching and learning in these disciplines/departments?
Professor Zwicky: Patents are particularly relevant in that last area of teaching and learning. Not only do students—especially students who are interested in pursuing careers outside of academia—need to know basic information about patents; patents represent an incredible opportunity for students to engage with information in a different way. Patents, among other applications, can be used as case studies, showing students how other people have tried to solve real-world problems, and they’re incredibly potent in the context of design courses.
Q. Why is it important for faculty and even student researchers to be aware of patents and trademark information? How can they become more knowledgeable about the importance of patents?
Professor Zwicky: Patents help you avoid repeating work other people have done, they can inspire new designs, and expired patents are pieces of technology that are in the public domain, free to be built upon and adapted. They also let you know what technologies other companies are exploring (they’re a key part of competitive intelligence analysis). And, of course, if you can get a patent on your own invention, that’s incredibly powerful when you want to commercialize it.
Trademarks are a little simpler and a little more niche. They’re vitally important in terms of marketing your company and making sure your customers can easily identify your goods and services, but they’re a bit less relevant in purely academic settings.
In terms of learning about patents and trademarks, contact me. I’m happy to set up one-on-one consultation appointments, training sessions, and so on. I also have a LibGuide page at http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/patents.
Patents and trademarks have applications beyond science and technology; I tend to focus on STEM, but that’s more about me than about the information. I’d love the opportunity to talk to someone working in the graphic design space, studying the history of science, or doing any other kind of research where patents or trademarks may be relevant. If anyone out there is interested, by all means, contact me.
Contact Professor Zwicky at dzwicky@purdue.edu.
Filed under: faculty_staff, general, PSET, Uncategorized