Staff

Roman Koot
Since 2017 I am the librarian of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet and in 2021 I additionally became curator of special collections and academic heritage at the Erasmus University Library. After studying art history in Leiden, I was a faculty liaison at Utrecht University Library and head of Library and Archives at the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History. My main interest is in cultural history of the modern era (interwar period), but I am broadly oriented. Currently, I am researching the book history of the city of Rotterdam. I am a jury member of the Mr. J. Dutilh Prize for the best book about Rotterdam. What I am always looking for is literature and art that challenges and gives a different perspective on life and the world.
E-mail roman.koot@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
I have been working at the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet since 2016 and 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 have a penchant for 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