Franklin & Marshall College Library: About Us: Library Staff: Tom Karel

Ask Andy

Email/Text Us

Email or text us at ask.us@fandm.edu and we’ll answer ASAP.

Archives & Special Collections can be reached at archives@fandm.edu.

Chat With Us

Ask us a question using the chat window to the right. Online hours:

SUN - THURS 11am-5pm & 7pm-2am
FRI - SAT 11am-5pm & 7pm-12am

Frequently Asked of Us

Check our FAQ for answers to popular questions.

Visit or Call Us

Stop by the Ask Me desk at Shadek or the Circulation desk at Martin, or call at:

Shadek-Fackenthal (717) 291-4217
Martin Library (717) 291-4331

Meet With Us

Students can meet with a librarian for one-on-one, expert research assistance.

Grad Schools & Jobs

Students can consult with a librarian to research prospective employers and explore graduate school opportunities.

JavaScript disabled or chat unavailable.

E-mail
tom.karel@fandm.edu

Phone
717-291-3845

Office
SFL 206

Tom Karel

Collection Development Librarian

Responsibilities

I am responsible for guiding and coordinating collection development efforts in the library and work closely with the Acquisitions Librarian and Acquisitions staff to implement material orders. I also oversee the government documents collection and maintain the government information section of the library's web page. I continue to take part in reference desk service, research appointments, and library instruction. I serve as liaison to the following departments: Economics; Government. Finally, I am the collector of all donations to the library (books and videos - no magazines or journals, please!).

Favorite Websites (for work and pleasure)

New York Times: for all the news that's fit to print
LEXIS-NEXIS: for all the other news
Philly.com: for tracking the Phillies and 76ers and the cultural scene in Philadelphia
U.S. Government Printing Office: for indispensable links to electronic government information
Bob Links: another indispensable site - everything there is to know about Bob Dylan, including tour schedules, set lists and concert reviews
The John Updike Society: A potpourri of reviews, articles and fan commentary.
Salon: A splendid source of political and cultural opinion.
God's Politics: A lively blog on faith, politics, and culture from Jim Wallis and friends at Sojourners magazine.

Degrees and Education

M.S.L.S. - Drexel University, 1976
M.A. - Temple University (political science), 1973
B.A. - Moravian College (political science), 1970

Professional Interests

Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT), American Library Association; Delaware Valley Chapter, Association of College and Research Libraries; PALCI Cooperative Collection Development Group; Collection Development Interest Group, Association of College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania (ACLCP) (co-chair); Behavioral and Social Sciences Librarian (member of the editorial board); frequent book reviewer for Library Journal.