Meet Your Lane Library Staff: Ryan Steinberg

Every month, we are spotlighting an amazing member of our library staff. This month meet Ryan Steinberg, Software Developer & Systems Architect.

What do you do at the library?

I’m a software developer and systems architect, which means I stitch together technologies to create Lane’s digital library experience. I contribute to the creation and care of tools like Lane Search and our website as well as many back-office library applications. I keep Lane’s digital ecology up and running 24/7, monitoring for performance, security, and cost-effectiveness.

What do you like best about the people who use Lane Library?

The intellectual curiosity of the Stanford community is fantastic. Even though we’re a small development team here at Lane, the enthusiasm and expectation of excellence from our community keeps work vibrant, varied, and exciting.

What is the most rewarding (or favorite) part of your job?

Tinkering. I love to play with new products and prototype solutions. I also like usage data! It’s satisfying to extract patterns and predict improvements using data from the tools I help build.

How long have you worked at Lane?

17 years

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to hike, bike, garden, and just goof off in nature with my partner and two boys. Covid has made for many a memorable family road trip but we’re ready to start traveling internationally again.

Do you prefer . . .

Coffee or tea? I enjoy both

Cats or dogs? Dogs

Candy or cake? Cake but I’d always prefer a stone fruit cobbler or pie

Salty or sweet? The saltier the better. Umeboshi plum with green tea and rice … yum!

Print or digital books? Print

Nonfiction or fiction? Good fiction is the best therapy but I read mostly nonfiction these days

Summer or winter? Winter, hands down. Give me rain, lots of rain!