Several people have contributed very good ideas on this. I'd like to add
a few comments:
(1) Many of the important criteria should be considered to be
"desirable, but not absolutely essential"
For any single criterion that someone might consider
indespensible, we could easily find a counterexample.
This illustrates what a flexible, eclectic profession
patent searching is ( and probably needs to be).
(2) I feel that technical experience & expertise in the
technology being searched is often not recognised as important as some of
the other criteria. IMHO Again, this is, of course, "desirable, but
not absolutely essential".
(3) Clearly, patent searching is a career that is best entered
after acquiring meaningful experience in some other career stage.
That might be R&D, library/information, or.....?
I've often considered patent searching something like
getting an MBA: a very valuable skill that is best attained after some
other first-stage career experience.
Alex
Alexander Turfa, Ph.D.
Senior Information Scientist
Arkema, Inc.
P.O.B. 61536
King of Prussia PA 19406-0936 USA
JDJohnson_at_chamberlain.com
09/02/2008 09:55 AM
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Re: [PIUG List] Summary: requirements for becoming a professional patent
searcher
Martin
I agree this is nicely done synopsis and it should be a very helpful
baseline as PIUG and others work towards some kind of credentialing or
standards for patent searchers. I also think that this reflects the idea
that this is an accidental profession. I certainly meandered into it
after getting my MLS. I was a biomedical searcher for several years before
putting my toes into the patent side of things and over the years I just
kept wading further out into it (I'll await the flood of drowning, head
under water jokes). I mention this because I think it will be important
to keep this in mind as we start to develop credentialing. We are not a
straight line profession with a single path to the career. Fortunately, I
think that diversity has been a boon for all of us and I would not like to
see that slip away.
Thanks
Jim Johnson
The Chamberlain Group
jdjohnson_at_chamberlain.com
"Martin Wallace" <Martin_Wallace_at_umit.maine.edu>
08/28/2008 08:55 AM
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[PIUG List] Summary: requirements for becoming a professional patent
searcher
Dear PIUG:
The following is a summary of responses to an inquiry that I made to the
PIUG discussion email earlier this August. This summary is intended to
provide information to newer information professionals with an interest in
patent information and who are
considering making patent information a major part of their career.
* Currently there are no concrete requirements, licenses or certifications
for becoming a professional patent searcher. This may change over the next
few years.
* It helps to have a degree in library/information science and a bachelors
or advanced degree in the technical area appropriate to the type of patent
searching you're interested in (usually mechanical, electrical, or
chemical engineering).
* For chemical and biochemical searching, it helps to have a masters or
PhD in the subject area, but this is not usually the case for mechanical
and electrical.
* Some patent agents later become professional searchers. Their knowledge
of patent law is highly beneficial for helping clients evaluate patent
information. However it is not a requirement for searchers to have been
agents or to know patent law.
* The information professional should enjoy reading patents, not merely
tolerate working with them.
* Fluency in one or more of the following languages, besides English is
useful: German, Japanese, and Chinese; other languages may also be useful.
* Searchers should seek legal indemnity insurance for their safety, but
this is not required. Patent searchers being held legally liable for
'malpractice' is practically unheard of (one respondent pointed out one
case where a searcher was sued for
overlooking a very obvious piece of prior art)
Several responses to my inquiry were to inform me of specialized training
programs available for those interested in becoming professional patent
searchers. These seem to range from programs for the beginner with little
or no knowledge of patent
information to advanced seminars for continuing education.
This and more, including a few of the more detailed responses I received,
are posted on the PIUG wiki, but I don't think Tom is ready to unveil the
wiki yet. Once it is available for public view, I will post a link to my
page, and I'll start another
page listing the training opportunities mentioned above.
Thanks,
Martin Wallace, Librarian
Science & Engineering Center
Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469
207-581-1678
fax: 207-581-1653
martin.wallace_at_umit.maine.edu
http://www.library.umaine.edu/staff/wallace.htm
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Received on Tue Sep 02 2008 - 21:24:23
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