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Lane in the 1930s

I first encountered Lane Library in 1935 when we moved up to the city after completing our first year and a quarter on the campus, and I remember walking into the library and seeing some of the murals that were there and seeing these old tables that were there with the old wooden chairs all around.
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Lane in the 1940s

I remember a great deal about the Lane Library because I used it almost every day, and it was the place where we studied all the time. They had these great big tables. It was usually very quiet in the evening and not very busy. Most of the people there in the evening were other medical students, so it was very peaceful and quiet, and a wonderful place to study.
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In late 1949 or early 1950, when I was eight years old, I was brought to Stanford Lane Hospital in San Francisco by my physician, William J. Newman [M.D., class of 1937] from Sonoma. The surgeon [Emile Hollman, M.D.] and his team saved my life by performing an emergency exploratory abdominal surgery on me. They removed a teratoma tumor that was wrapped around my left ovary, and removed my appendix for "good measure as it was a little inflamed." I was shown to a lot of medical students in a large auditorium, was shared on rounds, and was brought to the "doctors' most-interesting-case showing time" because this was an unusual and rare happening. It snowed in San Francisco one day during the week I was kept at the hospital. I have very fond memories of my week there and I just wanted to say thank you. I am still enjoying my life and have had two children.

Lane in the 1950s

What I remember about the library is that it had a fantastic collection. In fact, we were all told it was the greatest medical library this side of the Mississippi. It was a magnificent experience to go into that library, because you were treated so well by the staff, the resources there were fantastic, and were were very proud of that library.
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Lane in the 1960s

I recall Lane Library as a wonderful resource for researching almost anything to do with our medical school classwork. Second copies of major journals were especially useful for copying articles and handling ease. It was a quiet place that I often used as a study hall. Its small cubicles deep in the stacks were wonderful places of isolation. A photo of me studying a pelvic bone as part of my anatomy course while sitting in the library is displayed in my home and reminds me of how special Lane Library was and continues to be.

Lane in the 1970s

The place I remember most is down in the basement among the stacks, because they had little desks for us to study there. Outside of our own apartments, that was our second home. One of my other favorites was back on the first floor towards the XYZ stack, where nobody would be able to find you in case they were looking for you, and it was always very quiet there. That was a good place to study.
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Lane in the 1980s

The 1989 Earthquake is one of the most jolting memories I have of Lane. I was sitting on the floor of the Compact Shelves on the lower level when it struck, and Nancy Austin was nearby, but out of sight. We were probably investigating some recalcitrant serials problem. I was torn thinking that the shelves would protect me if the ceiling collapsed, but that I could be crushed if there was too much horizontal force. As I managed to stand up, the loud crashing of steel shelves falling on cement where Nancy was made me fear for her well-being. After the shaking stopped there was no answer for a while; she was almost speechless, but safe under the stairwell; we were both somewhat dazed. Extra shelves had been stacked on empty shelves, making the sound exceptionally horrendous as they crashed to the floor.

Lane in the 1990s

My first memory of Lane Library was a welcoming Wine and Cheese reception they had for all first year students. Not only did I get to know what Lane had to offer with respect to journals, reference books and a knowledgeable staff, but I also met many of my fellow classmates for the first time. I enjoyed the interaction and environment so much that I attended Lane's social events as often as possible.