Karen M. Kitchens assumed the office of President 2015/2016, Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association (PTRCA) during the 37th Annual Patent and Trademark Resource Center Seminar in Alexandria, VA. PTRCA is an affiliate member of the American Library Association. A Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) is part of a nationwide network of public, state, and academic libraries designated by the USPTO to support the public with trademark and patent assistance.
PTRCA supports programs at the PTRCP Annual Training Seminar, such as the Open Forum with USPTO staff, and member Roundtable presentations. PTRCA also has an active mentoring program, pairing new PTRC representatives with more experienced colleagues. PTRCA members enjoy the benefit of a content-rich website, which serves as a gathering spot for information about the association, committee assignments, association events, informational handouts, and links to other useful resources. Ms. Kitchens has served as the Intellectual Property/Documents Librarian at the Wyoming State Library since 2009.