A few days ago, the United States Patent and Trademark Office opened a new Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) in Smithtown, New York, at the Smithtown Library. 

The aim of the PTRC program is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship and help ensure that members of the public interested in getting a patent have access to the resources they need. Currently, PTRC-designated libraries can be found in 46 US states. This network of more than 80 public, academic, state, and special libraries assists a variety of customers including inventors, IP attorneys/agents, business people, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and historians.

The modern PTRC network has its foundations in the 1800s, when US Congress provided printed copies of patents to libraries for use by the public. The USPTO established training support and membership standards for these libraries in 1977.

List of materials and services available at Patent & Trademark Resource Centers can be checked at USPTO website.