Running for Archives Bazaar Lead:
Azalea Camacho
Azalea Camacho is the Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at the University Library of California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA). She oversees the operations of the Special Collections and Archives department, which includes archival processing, instruction, reference, public services, collection development, and maintenance. She has strengthened community partnerships and fostered student curiosity in the field by providing engaging opportunities for the campus community. Azalea holds an MLIS with a concentration in Archival Studies from San Jose State University, and a BS in Communications from Cal Poly Pomona. She is part of the first cohort for the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Heritage. Her passion lies in mentorship, community archives, and public services.
Liane Schirmer
Liane Schirmer is an historian/archivist, specializing in L.A. History with concentrations in Latino Theater as well as ethnic L.A in general.She has been passionate about the incredible history of this city as long as she can remember. Given her family’s involvement with both the entertainment and music publishing industries, it’s not too surprising. A passion for languages (Spanish, Russian, Italian & French) also led to a deep love of Los Angeles’s ethnic enclaves.
A graduate of USC, she has worked in L.A. theater as an actress and writer, in both Spanish and English at the Frida Kahlo Theater, the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, and Casa 0101. In addition, she has worked extensively in Voiceover - focusing on commercials and animation. Her entertainment background and language skills led to the creation of In Other Words, a translation company specializing in film, TV and media. Along the way, she conducted workshops in schools as a Teaching Artist (playwriting and acting), as well as taught Spanish and English for bilingual performance. Her formal involvement in the history community took shape as the preservation movement began in Los Angeles. She knew that our history was essential, and her avocation became more of a full time endeavor. Her specific knowledge of L.A. as well as her language skills led to archiving family histories, both written and oral. She was involved in the early days of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley, then soon joined L.A. as Subject. She began a blog, XCentricLA, devoted to exploring our city. Today, she is finally compiling her own family archive as well as spearheading an initiative to set up the first Latino Theater Archive.
Liane believes that she has the enthusiasm and dedication to serve as secretary for the Executive Committee. Preserving and promoting our history is a critical task, and she would love to see our efforts spread throughout the educational sector. Our performing arts can also be a fantastic tool to highlight the treasures in our archives and museums, and she believes she can act as an effective liaison to those communities. She believes that LAAS is a unique and wonderful resource and she would love to play a part in its exciting trajectory.
Running for Publicity & Outreach Lead:
Lizeth Ramírez
Lizeth Ramírez joined the UCLA Library Special Collections curating team as Librarian/Archivist for Los Angeles Communities and Cultures in March 2019. Her current work and collecting priorities focus on local marginalized communities, working to center them and their stories in the archival record. As part of her outreach efforts she has been active within LA as Subject (LAAS), which included her participation in the Archives Bazaar Exhibit subcommittee the last two years. Prior to joining UCLA, she was an Archivist and Reference Librarian at the Orange Public Library & History Center in Orange, California, where she managed the local history archive for over eleven years. During that time, she helped organize the first Orange County Archives in Action: Regional Archives Bazaar (2018), which was modeled on the LAAS Archives Bazaar, as a founding committee member. A native Angeleno, Lizeth’s bilingual (English-Spanish) skills have facilitated her work with communities throughout Southern California.
Running for Secretary:
Lisa Crane
Lisa Crane is the Western Americana Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections and Archives at The Claremont Colleges Library. She is also currently the Interim Director of Special Collections and Archives. As the Western Americana Manuscripts Librarian she oversees archival processing, teaches primary source literacy, performs collection development for Special Collections Western Americana materials, curates Special Collections exhibitions, serves as the interim head of the Claremont Center for Engagement with Primary Sources (CCEPS).
Prior to her current position, Lisa served as Digital Projects Coordinator and then Digital Production Librarian, where she managed digitization, metadata creation, and the upload of digital objects into the Claremont Colleges Digital Library.
Lisa holds a B.S. in Criminology, with a minor in History, from the University of La Verne and a MLIS, with an archival emphasis, from San Jose State University.
Lisa has served on the LA as Subject Executive Committee for the past two years and welcomes the opportunity to continue to apply her secretarial skills to the secretary position on the LAAS Executive Committee.