Education
Masters of Library Information Science
Emphasis in Archives & Special Collections
University of Washington / 2019 - 2023
Advanced Certificate, Digital Assets & Services
San Jose State University / 2017 - 2018
Bachelors of Fine Arts, Photography
Academy of Art University / 2010 - 2014
Supplementary Courses
Palaeography, Bookbinding, Book Repair & Paper Repair Courses
San Francisco Center for the Book / 2014 - Present
The Medical Book: 1300-1900
London Rare Book School / June 2019
Library Information Technology
City College of San Francisco / 2018-2019
[Introduction to Library Resources; Cataloging and Classification; Library Technical Services]
History, Identification, and Preservation of Photographic Materials
California Rare Book School / August 2017
Skills
Controlled Vocabularies
Getty (AAT, TGN, ULAN), Library of Congress, Rare Books & Manuscripts
Records Standards
DACS, Dublin Core, MARC
Applications & Databases
Archive-It, ArchivesSpace, Bridge, CONTENTdm, FileMaker Pro, Lightroom, MarcEdit, Photoshop, PoolParty, Proprietary databases, WorldCat
Administrative Systems
Adobe Acrobat, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite
Preservation & Repair
Book rebacking & rebinding, moveable book repair, paper repair, simple leather repair, building custom boxes, scanning for digital preservation
Languages
English (native); Classical Latin (working proficiency); French (beginner)
Graduate Level Courses
- Archival & Manuscript Services
- Catalogs, Cataloging, and Classification
- Collection Development
- Construction of Indexing Languages
- Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Sovereign Rights, Protections, and Protocols
- Design Methods for Librarianship
- Digital Assets Management
- Digitization & Digital Preservation
- Digital Preservation
- History & Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship
- Indigenous Art is Indigenous Knowledge
- Indigenous Systems of Knowledge
- Information Resources, Services, and Collections
- Information Retrieval Systems
- Information and Social Justice
- Management of Information Organizations
- Organization of Information and Resources
- Research, Assessment, and Design
- Tools, Services, and Methodologies for Digital Curation
- Who Owns Humanity? *Ethical ownership in museums
Undergraduate Level Courses
- Advanced Digital Printing
- Advanced Digital Retouching
- Advanced Photo Imagery
- Alternative Photographic Processes
- Art History Through the 15th Century
- Art History Through the 19th Century
- Book Arts 1 & 2
- Fine Art Photography
- History of Aesthetics
- History of Film: Post-1940
- Photo History & Concepts
- Photography & Mixed Media
- The Power of Signs: Semiotics & the Visual Arts
- Topics in World Art
- Traditional Photographic Processes
- Women, Art & Society
Bookbinding & Book Repair
Book & Paper Repair:
- Cloth Reback (Book Repair Core)
- Moveable Book Repair
- Paper & Paste (Book Repair Core)
- Paper Repair Intensive (Teaching Assistant)
- Rebind a Paperback Book: Perfect Binding
- Rebind a Paperback Book: Sewn Paperbacks
- Simple Repairs for Leather Books
Bookbinding & Letterpress Printing
- Boro Sampler Book
- Hand Spinning for Bookbinding
- Introduction to Headbands
- Introduction to Letterpress Printing
Related Arts
- Introduction to Western Palaeography
- Intermediate Western Palaeography
Special Projects
The Recipe Book Compendium: Bridging the Rare Books Accessibility Gap
The Recipe Book Compendium addresses the inaccessibility of Early Modern recipe books to the general public. With barriers such as academic pedigree limiting engagement, these books have remained largely hidden away in institutional special collections. However, they hold valuable insights into the lives of Early Modern families and their knowledge creation and organization practices. This free online resource connects the average person to digitized recipe books and myriad resources to assist with understanding Early Modern material and social culture. By making this information accessible to a wider audience, the Compendium promotes a deeper understanding of Early Modern knowledge practices.
Experience
Employment
Robbins Collection & Research Center, UC Berkeley School of Law / Berkeley, CA
Cataloging & Metadata Libarian for Rare Materials, December 2024 - Present
The 1947 Partition Archive / Berkeley, CA
Digital Oral History Archivist & Archives Educator, March - November 2024
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young & Legion of Honor) / San Francisco, CA
Archives Intern, June - August 2023
Town School for Boys / San Francisco, CA
Registrar, 2022 - 2023
Registrar & Assistant to the Division Heads, 2021 - 2022
Assistant Registrar & Assistant to the Division Heads, 2019 - 2021
Book Club of California / San Francisco, CA
Membership & Operations Director, 2017 - 2019
Membership Services & Office Manager, 2015 - 2017
Administrative Assistant, 2015
San Francisco Center for the Book / San Francisco, CA
Administration Coordinator, 2014
Fraenkel Gallery / San Francisco, CA
Digital Archives Intern, 2013
Volunteer
Trustee
American Printing History Association, Northern California Chapter
2018 - 2019
Studio Maintenance & Events Volunteer; Library Consultant
San Francisco Center for the Book
2015 - present
Cataloging & Technical Services Volunteer
Book Club of California
2019 - 2020
Book Sale Volunteer
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library
2018 - 2018
Publications, Lectures & Exhibitions
Author: Westerman, Lesya. "A Tale of Two Cities: 48 Hours in London and Oxford." The CODEX Papers, no. 1, 2018, pp. 119-26
Presenter: Felonious Folios: Books on Murder and Crime. Book Club of California, San Francisco, CA, October 29, 2018.
Exhibition Design & Installation Assistant: Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future. 8-10 February 2019, 52nd California International Antiquarian Book Fair, Oakland, CA.
Associations
American Library Association (ALA)
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
California Library Association (CLA)
California Society of Archivists (CSA)
Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS)
Society of American Archivists (SAA)
Special Libraries Association (SLA)