Towers
A Newsletter for Supporters of the University of Idaho Library
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Towers A Newsletter for Supporters of the University of Idaho Library
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Books are the object of searches.-Henry Petroski, The Book on the Bookshelf
Patenting Idaho
In 1871, when federal statute first allowed for the distribution of printed patents to libraries for use by the public, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began designating libraries across the United States as patent and trademark depositories (PTDLs) in order to disseminate patent and trademark information to the general public. Although the program began slowly with only twenty-two libraries (mostly east of the Mississippi River), starting in the mid-1970s many more were added. Meeting the specific requirements outlined by the USPTO, the University of Idaho Library was the thirty-eighth library to be designated a PTDL, and is now one of eighty-six such depositories.
Serving as the inland northwest's patent and trademark depository since November 3, 1983, the library maintains an extensive collection of patent and trademark information including utility patents (from 1790-present), design patents (from 1838 to present), and plant patents (from 1931-present) in various forms of media. In charge of the collection, reference librarian Karen Hertel provides patent research help to students, faculty, and the general public. In a recent interview, she explained, "While this library resource is open to everyone, the majority of our patent and trademark patrons are independent inventors who need assistance with their patent research."
Congress established the USPTO in 1802 to permit and encourage invention. Put simply, a patent is an offensive weapon, granting the inventor the legal right to sue or prosecute anyone who has wrongfully sold, marketed, manufactured, or distributed the patented invention. In addition, a patent serves the function of prior-art reference; in this capacity, a patent document is effective as prior art from the date of filing (without limit). However, at the same time, Congress limited the legal rights of a patent to twenty years in order that society would be able to pursue improvements. Accordingly, a patent is a limited right that is designed to benefit the inventor, and ultimately, to benefit society. To gain this limited monopoly, an inventor must file a patent application with the USPTO describing the invention through words and drawings, defining what is new and different about it, and claiming the boundaries or scope of the invention. Because of the formal language of patents and the complexity of the process, many turn to patent lawyers for help. However, a regional patent and trademark depository, such as the University of Idaho Library, provides the public with access to many of the resources needed to research patents and prepare patent applications.
In a survey conducted by the USPTO in late 2002, patrons of Idaho's depository emphasized how the library bridged this gap. One wrote, "When you are getting started it is helpful for someone to show you the resources, explain how to use them, and answer your questions." As reference librarian for the patent and trademark depository, Karen Hertel provides a foundation for patrons interested in researching patents. She answers their questions, and explains the research process. "Many of those seeking help," she added, "have become frustrated and confused because they have already attempted to do research online, but have come up short in some way." Admitting that the USPTO's online patent search tools can be confusing to use, she recommends that patrons begin the process of searching for prior art by making an orientation appointment with her.
The resources provided by the University of Idaho Library patent and trademark depository support not only a research function, but also go hand-in-hand with the university's role in fostering invention-especially those that benefit Idaho. Recently, the Idaho Research Foundation, as the university's agent, announced that it is licensing such locally-developed technologies as a cyber-security system, a high-flow technology for municipal wastewater treatment, and nanospring devices which are expected to play a key role in healthcare.
In the past, northwest inventors created new designs relating to farming, mining, and even the everyday household-demonstrating the range of necessity and invention within our own region. In 1909, for example, applicants, with the help of patent lawyers, submitted patent claims for a harvester, a pitman drive, a revolving harrow, a miner's candle protector, a rock drill, and a refrigerator. Today, even though the range of invention has changed dramatically over time, the urge to improve and invent remains the same. And, so, within its role as a patent depository, the University of Idaho Library, both changes and shapes the nature of patenting in Idaho, encouraging modern day inventors to see if, in the words of the USPTO, their invention is "an improvement on the prior art."
Patent Research: A Guide to Getting Started
*Contact Karen Hertel, Reference Librarian, by email at karenh@uidaho.edu or by telephone at (208) 885-5858 to learn about available resources.
*Recommended Reading:
General Information Concerning Patents (USPTO). Excerpts available online at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/index.html .
The Inventor's Notebook by Fred E. Grissom and David Pressman (Nolo, 2000). T339.G75 2000.
Patent Searching Made Easy: How to do Patent Searches on the Internet and in the Library by David Hitchcock (Nolo, 2000). T210.H58 2000.
Patent it Yourself by David Pressman (Nolo, 2002). KF3114.6.P74 2002.
*Review the online resources listed at /internet/links/Intellectual_Property/.
From the Dean
It's hard to believe that seventeen years have passed since we were making the case for an addition/renovation for the library; or that ten years have passed since we dedicated the "new" library. We were following the trends, as during the decade of the 90s, American colleges and universities averaged expenditures of $449 million per year on library construction and renovation.
In most cases, according to the Council on Library and Information Resources, these expenditures tended to solve the perceived problems of the preceding decades rather than build learning space suited to the new generation of students, who have very different learning styles. Today's students are intensely gregarious and social, and highly attuned to convenience and technology. It's clear that to serve this new generation well, much of the space designed for their parent's generation will have to be reworked and readapted at a time when funding is much tighter than the "Booming 90s."
In the coming year, I'll have more information for you on an exciting
project to keep the library at the "Heart of the University."
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.-Charles W. Eliot
The Library Associates: Our Origins
Spring 2003 Issue
Library Friends On June 30 last, a small group of library-minded individuals convened at the summer home of Mrs. Lucy Day, Mica Bay, Coeur d'Alene Lake to organize a friends of the library group which will be known as the Library Associates, University of Idaho. It will be made up of individuals who are interested in assisting the University to expand its library holdings, especially in the area of Northwestern Americana; to acquire other valuable general and historical materials for scholarly research; and to interest friends and alumni to make direct book or monetary contributions to the University's library..
.Founders of the new association, in addition to Mrs. Jerome J. Day, are: Henry L. Day, President, Day Mines, Wallace; Richard G. Magnuson, Attorney-at-Law, Wallace; Harry Marsh, Mining Consultant, Boise; William Guernsey, Land Appraiser and Consultant, Boise; Dr. May Mathieu, Seattle; Mr. And Mrs. Talbot Jennings, Los Angeles; Earl Larrison, Professor of Zoology; D. R. Theophilus, President, and Lee Zimmerman, Librarian, of the University of Idaho Library. Richard Magnuson was named Chairman and Lee Zimmerman, Secretary-Treasurer. Other founding members will serve as an Advisory Committee..
Looking back to that day in June of 1963, we can see the essential shape and purpose of the Library Associates defined. A group of "library-minded individuals" gathered off-campus to create a "friends of the library" organization. Composed of alumni, friends, faculty, and administrators, they shared a common vision of what the University of Idaho Library was at that time and what it should be in the future. As a group, they chose three goals: expansion of library holdings, acquisition of materials for scholarly research, and encouragement of gifts of materials and funds. Today, these are still the principal goals of the Library Associates. With membership rising to nearly 1000 contributors, supporters, and friends, the Associates have continued to provide that extra measure of support that makes the difference between a good library and an excellent library.
Happy Fortieth Anniversary, Library Associates, and thank you for your continuing support of the University of Idaho Library! Your contributions help increase the collections, provide scholarly tools and access, and encourage others to join in support of the library.
From the Dean
Spring 2003 IssueI've often wondered what really ran through Meriwether Lewis' mind as he walked to the top of the hill at the source of the Missouri, expecting to see the Columbia River, and instead viewed the jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains, row on row. Probably, it wasn't seemly to print in the journals.
The view of the University Budget range from this present viewpoint is equally challenging, with the economy suspect and university leadership in flux. Although my thoughts may resemble Lewis', our knowledge of their history offers a glimmer of brighter days ahead. Lewis and Clark couldn't have known that friends (the Nez Perce) awaited them at the end of the Lolo Trail. Fortunately, the library has been accompanied by its friends, the Associates, for the last forty years, easing the bibliographic traveller's journey. Happy Birthday, Associates!
Lewis & Clark: The Making of the Legend
Spring 2003 IssueAt the end of August 1803, the epic journey of western expansion would begin when Captain Meriwether Lewis and a dozen men left Pittsburgh headed for St. Louis, where they would meet up with Captain William Clark and the rest of their party. The following year, in mid-May, the Corps of Discovery would depart from Camp Dubois, near St. Louis, to set out on the adventure that would take them through the unknown territories of the West, to the Pacific, and back. During their journey, they would encounter countless new people, new cultures, and new landscapes. Moreover, they would be journeying outside the settled states and into a still foreign land. So foreign, in fact, that President Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Meriwether Lewis on July 6, 1803, "I.ask of the consuls, agents, merchants and citizens of any nation with which we have intercourse or amity to furnish you with.supplies which your necessities may call for, assuming them of honorable and prompt retribution and our own consuls in foreign ports where you may happen to be, are hereby instructed and required to be aiding and assisting to you in whatsoever may be necessary for procuring your return back to the United States." Much of the western territories was still claimed by the European nations of Great Britain, Spain, and France; therefore, Jefferson anticipated that the Corps of Discovery would need to rely upon the generosity of foreign agents in order to complete their task.
Their most foreign encounters, however, were those with the Native Americans. During their journey through the West, the travelers would come into contact with nearly fifty Native American tribes, and would directly enlist the help of such tribes as the Shoshone, the Nez Perce, the Mandans, and the Teton Sioux. It was in Idaho that Lewis and Clark met the Nez Perce, the largest tribe on their route between the Missouri and the Pacific, and came to rely upon them to save the expedition and their lives. In fact, this tribe would greet the members of the Lewis and Clark party, weary and hungry from their journey over the Lolo Trail, with dried buffalo, camas root bread, and fish when they arrived at their camp. Unaccustomed to such rich and plentiful food, most of the Corps became sick for a brief period. Finally, carving canoes for an eventful water journey, the party reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1806.
Although they had expected to travel back to the United States by sea, the explorers were forced to return the same way in which they came. The ships they had anticipated arriving during their winter encampment at the Pacific Ocean were nowhere to be found. It was during their return journey that the Corps of Discovery would rely most heavily upon the Nez Perce. Arriving back in central Idaho in May 1806, they camped again with the Nez Perce, waiting for the snow to clear in the mountain passes. Had it not been for the food and shelter the tribe provided for the explorers, many might have died in trying to trek through the snow-covered Bitterroot Mountains. In September of 1806, upon their return to St. Louis, Captain Lewis would write Thomas Jefferson, "In obedience to your orders we have penetrated the continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean, and sufficiently explored the interior of the country.. " The rest, as is said, is history.
Over time, the legendary journey of the Corps of Discovery would come to be connected with the beginnings of American expansionism - opening the door to the previously unknown West. In part because of the monumental efforts of Lewis and Clark, what had began as Thomas Jefferson's dream of a land of yeoman farmers evolved into what was described as our nation's "manifest destiny" in 1845 by John L. Sullivan, editor of the New York Post. Hence, this story would be told and retold; this journey celebrated time and again - all related to our nation's growth and development. While Lewis and Clark, Thomas Jefferson, and other contemporaries might have recognized the significance of these explorations to our nation's future growth, the full extent of the expedition's importance within American history and folklore would only be fully articulated through the development of the many publications that followed their journey. The University of Idaho Library, located just off the explorers' track, has collected nearly all of this literature for research and study.
Prior to their departure, President Thomas Jefferson requested that the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition maintain records about the people, land, water sources, animals, and plants they encountered along their path to the mouth of the Columbia River. Jefferson wrote, "Your observations are to be taken with great pains & accuracy, to be entered distinctly & intelligibly for others as well as for yourself, to comprehend all the elements necessary.. " These records, maintained in daily journals, included scientific data, raw notes, and observations. Upon their return, Meriwether Lewis began the tedious conversion of this raw data into a more "scientific" account. Lewis' death, in 1809, delayed and further complicated the final completion of the account, but, eventually, in 1814, after additional work by Nicholas Biddle and Paul Allen, the first edition of the History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark was published in Philadelphia. A copy of this first true edition of the journals was presented to the Library as a gift from Moscow businessman and Library Associate Kyle Laughlin, along with other Lewis and Clark titles, in December 1978.
Over the years, the journals of Lewis and Clark have been published several times - each edition having its own significance and adding its own contribution to the legend of Lewis and Clark. Early editor Reuben Gold Thwaites noted that "The story of the records of the transcontinental exploration of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (1803-1806) is almost as romantic as that of the great discovery itself." Paul Cutright, writing in his A History of the Lewis and Clark Journals (1976), added, "Looked at today, almost three-quarters of a century later, the story presents even more romance.. " Although the publications are derived from the same source material, each provides a differing perspective of the story as the various editors reinterpret the material for a new audience.
While some editions of the journals are considered more suitable for scholarly research, each maintains its own place in the history of these publications. While Elliott Coues' version is said to have "rediscovered" Lewis and Clark, a contemporary reviewer of Thwaites' 1904 edition cites his interpretation as being the most "satisfactory" publication of the journals up to that point. The reviewer wrote, "There has never heretofore been any satisfactory publication of the Journals, and they are here reprinted in full for the first time. The book includes all of the original Journals, presented exactly as they were written by both of the explorers day by day during their journeyings, thus preserving all of the quaintness and uniqueness of original manuscripts, and presenting a great wealth of scientific data, interesting anecdote and thrilling adventure which the captains included in their story of the expedition." More recently, Gary E. Moulton has expanded on the publication of the journals by presenting the most complete and accurate edition of the material to date. Time and again, his efforts in editing the journals have been noted as impressive, comprehensive, and complete.
In addition to the journals, there are several other important primary and secondary publications that relate directly to the Lewis and Clark journals, and to specific topics concerning the Lewis and Clark expedition. Paul Cutright, Jim Fazio, and Eldon Chuinard are just a few of the authors contributing to the ongoing Lewis and Clark story. Many are listed in the attached, "Lewis & Clark: A Selected Bibliography of Materials in the University of Idaho Library."
Those publications related to the centennial celebration of the Lewis and Clark journey reveal another element in the continuing growth and enrichment of the legend. In 1905, the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a world's fair, was held in Portland, Oregon. Its purpose was described in a contemporary account:
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition will celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the exploration of Oregon Country by an expedition planned by President Jefferson and commanded by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.. The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition is the Oregon Country's Exposition, whether considered from the patriotic or the material viewpoint. It is as much the Exposition of Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming as it is of Oregon. The interest of all is identical, for all in whole or part comprised the geographical division, the acquisition of which established the United States on the Pacific Ocean and made it a world power.
States from all over the Pacific Northwest built exposition buildings; wares from Japan, India, Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Egypt were displayed in galleries; and, monuments representing cowboys, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and Native American life were erected. For the tourist, and now the historian, there were many "tour-book" type publications about the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. These include: Oregon: A Story of Progress and Development Together with an Account of the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition, compiled by Henry E. Reed; Sights and Scenes at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition Portland, Oregon, published by Robert Reid; The Oregon Journal Souvenir View Book of the Late Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition Portland Oregon Nineteen Hundred and Five, published by The Journal; and 180 Glimpses of the Lewis and Clark Exposition Portland, Ore. and the Golden West, by William H. Lee.
One hundred years later, the bicentennial celebration is underway, and the Pacific Northwest is preparing for what is expected, in some circles, to be one of the largest vacation migrations in history. In tune with these commemorative activities, the University of Idaho Library continues to collect works about the expedition, and has been contributing to the flood through the publication of two books on the Lewis and Clark Trail in Idaho. Like many academic libraries, the University of Idaho Library not only organizes and preserves information, but creates it as well.
Bitterroot Crossing: Lewis & Clark Across the Lolo Trail, by Gene and Mollie Eastman (2002), and In Nez Perce Country: Accounts from the Bitterroots and the Clearwater after Lewis and Clark, by Dennis and Lynn Baird (2003), both part of the "Northwest Historical Manuscript Series," offer two themes related to the Lewis and Clark legend. While the Eastmans contribute to the continuing debate over the actual route the Lewis and Clark party took through Idaho, the Bairds compiled accounts of those who followed in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. Appearing in paperback with various maps and illustrations, these books add to the growing collection of scholarly works concerning Lewis and Clark, offering new and different perspectives on the topic as each includes previously unpublished materials found in library collections.
The popularity of the Lewis and Clark expedition may rise or fall over the passing years, yet the University of Idaho Library will continue to collect and maintain those publications related to their journey - for it could certainly be said that the piece of the West we call Idaho is a direct and consequential result of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Having such a richly important connection to Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, this continuing collection remains one of obvious importance to local communities, to Idaho, to the West, and to the United States.
Lewis & Clark: A Selected Bibliography of Materials in the University of Idaho Library
Spring 2003 Issue
The Journals - In Chronological OrderAllen, Paul, ed. History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark. Philadelphia: Bradford & Inskeep, 1814.
By the time of his mysterious death in 1809, Meriwether Lewis had made only limited progress on the presidentially requested compilation of the journey's raw notes and data into a scientific account; therefore, the project fell to William Clark. Clark enlisted the assistance of Nicholas Biddle, a well-respected scholar and writer from Philadelphia, to finish the preparation of the official journals. Biddle then hired Paul Allen for final editing. The publication would finally go to press in 1814 in a two-volume set, with Allen's name on the title page. Harper Brothers published an abridged edition in 1892.
Coues, Elliott, ed. History of the Expedition under the Command of Lewis and Clark. New York: F. P. Harper, 1893.
Considered one of the major editions of the reprinting of the Lewis and Clark journals, this 1893 publication was edited and introduced by Elliott Coues, one of America's most renowned naturalists and historians. With an "abundant" commentary and the introduction of some formerly unpublished materials, Coues is credited with having "rediscovered" the journals.
Hosmer, James K. History of the Expedition of Captain Lewis and Clark, 1804-5-6. Chicago: A. C. McClurg, 1902.
A reprint of the 1814 Paul Allen publication, this edition of the Lewis and Clark journals features no changes in content except for the inclusion of a brief introduction by James K. Hosmer. Hosmer, a noted historian and biographer, was also a past president of the American Library Association.
Thwaites, Reuben Gold, ed. Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1904.
Called "the first satisfactory publication of the Lewis and Clark journals," the Thwaites edition of the journals derived from the Coues version. In this edition, Thwaites, noted historian and 26-year secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, introduced even more unpublished materials from the journals and also transcribed much of the journals literally. Paul Cutright has suggested that the Thwaites edition stimulated research concerning the journey of Lewis and Clark because works about Lewis and Clark were almost non-existent prior to this edition.
Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983 - 2002.
The Moulton edition of the Journals of Lewis and Clark has become the modern reference guide for everything on the topic. In his publication of the journals, Gary Moulton, a University of Nebraska professor of American History and recipient of the J. Franklin Jameson Award from the American Historical Association, emphasized accuracy and completeness in presenting the materials. This thirteen-volume set consists of an oversize atlas, eight volumes for Lewis and Clark's journals, three volumes for journals of others in the party, the herbarium, and a comprehensive index; recently reduced to a one-volume abridgement. Dr. Steven J. Brunsfeld, College of Natural Resources, was acknowledged as an advisor for several volumes.
Additional Publications - In Chronological OrderFisher, William. An Interesting Account of the Voyages and Travels of Captains Lewis and Clark, in the Years 1804-5 & 6. Baltimore: P. Mauro, 1813.
Published in 1813 in response to the growing demand by the public for more information on the Lewis and Clark expedition, it is still collected as an apocryphal edition of the journals. However, this edition is little more than a compilation of Jefferson's 1806 Message, Patrick Gass's 1807 Journal, and plagarizations of both the Jonathan Carver and Alexander Mackenzie explorations.
Rees, Thomas, ed. Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean Performed by Order of the Government of the United States in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1814.
Published in direct response to the British interest in American travels throughout the West, this publication features narrative accounts, primary documents, and so on concerning not only the travels of Lewis and Clark but other documents representing the general American interest in the pursuit of its manifest destiny. Within his preface, the editor writes about the work, "As far as relates to Lewis and Clarke's Travels, this work is not, however, what it pretends to be, for it contains no farther account of them than was given in the above message.But, in other respects, it is of considerable value, the other documents inserted in it being curious, and contained in no other English publication."
Journal of Lewis and Clarke. Dayton, OH: B. F. Ells, 1840.
An apocryphal edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, this publication is said to be yet another counterfeit edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, much like Fisher's. However, Cutright notes that, "The only feature setting this edition apart from the others is the illustrations.. " Of which, there are fifteen in all - to include portraits of Lewis and Clark.
Hosmer, James K. Gass's Journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1904.
This reprint of the original 1811 Patrick Gass journals includes an analytical index and an introduction by Hosmer, who also wrote the introduction to the 1902 reprint of the Lewis and Clark journals.
Cutright, Paul R. Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1969.
Noted as the "most comprehensive account of the scientific studies carried out by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their overland expedition to the Pacific Northwest," this publication, written by biologist Paul Cutright, includes summaries of the animals, plants, topographical features, and Indian tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark.
Cutright, Paul R. A History of the Lewis and Clark Journals. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976.
This has been described as the best of the many works about Lewis and Clark. Within this history of the Lewis and Clark journals, Cutright thoroughly explains the evolution of the many editions of the journals and related volumes, from Allen to Thwaites, and Jefferson to Hosmer.
Chuinard, Eldon G. Only One Man Died: The Medical Aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Glendale, CA: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1979.
A well-respected surgeon and founder of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Eldon Chuinard used both his medical expertise and his interest in Lewis and Clark to bring together the health-related materials from the expedition within this publication.
Fazio, James R. Across the Snowy Ranges: The Lewis and Clark Expedition in Idaho and Western Montana. Moscow, ID: Woodland Press, 2001.
This recent book by a UI faculty member presents a daily account of the Lewis and Clark expedition in the "most difficult country of the entire journey to the Pacific." Award-winning author and former president of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Fazio offers a more focused perspective on the explorers' travels specifically through Idaho and western Montana.
Ritter, Sharon A. Lewis and Clark's Mountain Wilds: A Site Guide to the Plants and Animals They Encountered in the Bitterroots. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press, 2002.
A professional wildlife ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service, Sharon Ritter presents a reference guide for the plants and animals of the Lewis and Clark Trail, focusing specifically on the Bitterroot Mountains. Using photographs, detailed descriptions, and information on how each of these species was named, Ritter's contribution is appropriate for both naturalists and vacationers alike in their journey through this portion of wilderness in Idaho and Montana.
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