John Cotton Dana (1856-1929) was a highly influential American librarian and museum director who did much of his work in Newark, New Jersey. He wanted to bring libraries into the 20th century by making them vibrant community centers instead of collections of relics that only appealed to a small segment of the community.

He was Director of the Denver Public Library from 1889 to 1898. While there, he pioneered the patron's right to open stacks, allowing them to browse for themselves instead of having a librarian monitoring their every request.

While in Denver, he also organized the first-ever children's library room. He was personally opposed to the concept of storytime, preferring for his children's library to focus on the continuing education of school teachers.

He became head of the Newark Public Library in 1902 and directed it until his death. He established foreign language collections for immigrants and also developed a special collection for the business community. This "Business Branch" was the first of its kind in the nation.

He also founded the Newark Museum in 1909, directing it until his death. Dana personally did not like modern art, but he believed in the principle of a universal museum and thus ordered purchases of art associated with the Ashcan school . Cotton also began the Newark Museum's notable Tibetan collection.

Dana served as president of the American Library Association, which today gives out the John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award to libraries with exceptional public relations.

John Cotton Dana married, but his wife was not healthy. He did not have any children.

Rutgers-Newark's main library is named for John Cotton Dana.

Bibliography

• A Library Primer, 1899
• The New Museum, 1917