John Cotton Dana (August 19, 1856, in Woodstock, Vermont – July 21, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey) was an American library and museum director who sought to make these cultural institutions relevant to the daily lives of citizens.

[1] As a public librarian for forty years Dana promoted the benefits of reading, pioneered direct access to shelved materials, and innovated specialized library services of all types.

Taking a position as the editor of the Ashby Avalanche in 1885, Dana moved to Minnesota, but resettled in Colorado after a short time.

Because of the reputation he cultivated as a learned man and his connections in the Denver Public Schools, the superintendent Aaron Gove nominated Dana as the city's first librarian.

[2] Dana wanted to update libraries and envisioned them as vibrant community centers rather than collections of relics that appealed to only a small segment of people.

He was personally opposed to the concept of storytime, preferring for his children's library to focus on the continuing education of school teachers.

[7] John C. Dana personally believed that purchasing European oil painting was a waste of money and thus supported American art movements.

In 1915, he curated the exhibition "Clay Products of New Jersey" where he displayed two porcelain toilets from the Trenton Potteries, part of his work toward including industrial arts in the museum.