Staff

Suzie Hermán

In addition to my work as librarian of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet, I am curator of special collections and academic heritage at the University Library of Erasmus University. Trained as an art historian, I specialize in art, architecture, early printed books, and cartography from the period 1400–1800.

What fascinates me is how books—like visual art and architecture—carry stories and ideas that continue to move us. A book is both a journey through time and an opening to a new world. 

I enjoy reading documentary fiction, magical realism, artists’ books, and exile literature—works in which fact and imagination, past and present, home and elsewhere meet. Such books reveal how language can transcend boundaries and how it can connect us with others.

E-mail suzie.herman@eur.nl

dr. Berrie Vugts

I’m a film and literary scholar and work at the Leeskabinet since 2013. Before that I worked in a secondhand bookstore for several years. At the Leeskabinet I’m responsible for our cultural program, the fiction collection and our book clubs.

E-mail berrie.vugts@eur.nl

Elsbeth van der Ploeg

At the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet I am responsible for communication and the production of our cultural and literary events. The Leeskabinet book club is a much-loved part of my work. I studied history at the University of Amsterdam and at the EUR and previously obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism. As an avid reader, I'm fond of American literature and memoirs.

E-mail: elsbeth.vanderploeg@eur.nl

Farina Rodjan

I have been working at the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet since April 2021, and I'm primarily responsible for the financial- and membership administration. Before this, I worked for TU Delft and the Municipality of Rotterdam in their respective financial departments. I enjoy reading about historical topics such as WWII, the French Revolution and the American Civil War. My great hobby is traveling, and I especially like to visit places related to these events.

E-mail: rodjan@eur.nl

Emma Sierhuis

I’ve been a part of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet team since the spring of 2024, where I’ve taken on a supportive role and primarily focus on the visual presentation of our communication. Besides this I’ve developed into a jack-of-all-trades by taking on a plethora of tasks around the library. This diversity is reflected in my bookshelves where one can find art books but also memoires, history, science, and fiction. In recent years my preferred subjects have been space travel and the history of the animation industry. The latter might seem out of left field but can be explained by the fact that I specialized in animation while studying at the Willem de Kooning art academy in Rotterdam. Besides these interests I enjoy spending time in nature, frequenting concerts, and sitting down with friends for a round of the board-slash-roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons.

E-mail: emma.sierhuis@eur.nl