A Pioneering Hero John Cotton Dana by Wanda Harris (1856-1929)   Sargent's portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson provides resembles the image of John Cotton Dana. Slender and long-legged, he stooped slightly, leaning forward with dark, luminous eyes and a sensitive mouth under a stubby mustache. The twinkle in his eyes forewarned of his mischievous sense of humor. He could not go unnoticed even if he wished to, but this was unlikely. He once remarked, "As a librarian I would rather be attacked than ignored by the press." This sense of publicity came to serve him well. Dana's father was a scholar, with an honorary degree from Dartmouth College, where Dana later went to school. One of his ancestors was Rev. John Cotton, author of the first draft of laws of Massachusetts. This influenced Dana to study law when he returned to Woodstock from college but he became ill with tuberculosis and chose to move to a drier climate in Colorado where a Dartmouth friend, Frank Gove, worked as a deputy US land and mineral surveyor. Here he lead the outdoor life and read voraciously. Dana did this work for two years before moving to New York. New York presented opportunities to partake in the theatres, social life, and music. He easily passed the New York State Bar exam, but work was scarce and becoming ill again, moved to Minnesota where another college friend lived. He began to practice law and began to write for the local paper, The Ashby Avalanche. But Colorado was still in his heart and after a few months it was back to the hills, outdoor life, and reading. Survey work seemed to suit him and he began to work for Colorado Midland Railroad. He also became a construction superintendent and even preached in a Unitarian church. Words in print impressed Dana. He published letters and articles in various newspapers and publications, including one in the Denver Arbitrator on The Public School. This attracted attention in Denver he soon became the librarian of Denver's new library in 1889. Dana had confidence in the common man. He believed libraries were to educate the public about citizenship. This meant libraries needed to be proactive in publicizing offerings and make programs that would appeal to all of the public. He viewed the traditional 19th century library as a book warehouse, with preservation librarians as guards of the closed stacks. He wanted to bring the printed word to all and make the library a democratic institution as a community center. Changes included opening the stacks and making books easy to reach, with adequate lighting. He made it easier to get a library card and extended library hours from 9 to 9 every day to meet the needs of the working class. These simple ideas were revolutionary for their day. The rigid control of books did not allow for energetic children. Dana established the first separate room for children, their own library inside the library, with appropriate furniture and art. He organized pamphlet collections of useful information for the citizen such as maps to trolley lines, roadways, water supply, sewage equipment, fire and police stations, and voting districts. He increased the availability of fiction books. In 1893, Dana began a training class for library assistants. He published a monthly magazine, Books. Promotion of the library became his forte'. In the first four years of his tenure, library attendance went from sixty visitors a day to 1,000. Budget cuts and a controversy surrounding distribution of information on the bimetallism question, "goldbug" literature in the silver state, combined with Dana's sense of growing capabilities, fostered the resignation in Denver and accepting a position in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield's library was larger but had many physical barriers, such as stairs and railings. After making the collection accessible, he began programs such as the ones in Denver. He began the children's room, established a business library, began training programs, and made the collection more useful to the community it was to serve. Dana now also wanted a hand in the running of the Art Museum and Museum of Natural History. A conflict over Sunday openings caused dissention among the Board of Directors. Meanwhile his reputation was growing and job offers from big cities became the norm. During an interview with a member of the Newark Board of Trustees Mr. Jenkinson remarked, "Newark is not a book reading community, not a library center." In acceptance Dana commented, "Let us make it both." During the four years in Springfield he had gained more experience in reorganization and museum management. The Free Public Library of Newark had a strong collection, strong staff, and a new building. The assistant librarian, Beatrice Winser, was trained at Columbia Library School. They immediately became partners in the running of the library. Again, Dana implemented his successful policies adding new services such as a foreign language collection and a library picture collection. Eventually he began a hospital library service. He began publishing The Newarker to advertise the activities of the library. He generated publicity in national papers. Dana's creative powers were unleashed in this industrial city. He became catalyst to energized citizenship. Patriotic Poems of New Jersey was developed for use in the schools. Dana's speech before the Newark Board of Trade instigated expansion of the Newark Technical School. He placed the city and state in exhibitions of paintings, school sewing, and crafts. Newark's methods of book selection became American Library Association's, ALA, recommended method. He became engaged in all public enterprises. In 1904, a branch library in the business district was dedicated to business application and renamed the Business Branch. The concept of a library highly developed in one subject area, such as health care, business, and education, was new and led to special librarianship as a major branch of the field. This resulted in the conception of the Special Libraries Association, with Dana as its first president, in 1910. He became known as "The First Citizen of Newark". He died in 1929. He was so esteemed that six years later, October 6 was designated "John Cotton Dana Day" in Newark. John Cotton Dana was a pioneer in public relations. He was a practitioner of needs assessments, target audiences, goal setting, planning, and evaluation. He responded to the needs of the community, keeping the library vibrant and essential in the lives of the common man. Libraries changed from book prisons to interactive sources of knowledge. In 1914 he wrote in the Newarker: " New times are bringing new conditions…and libraries will show themselves to be convenient and familiar tools adjusted to the hands of movers of government, industry, commerce and finance in their respective communities." This realization of change in libraries is very relevant to the present. His ability to publicize the activities of the library resulted in the ALA and H.W. Wilson Publishing Company inaugurating a public relations award, in 1946. The John Cotton Dana Award is presented annually. It is given to libraries in recognition of sustained, well-rounded library public relations program. There is also a "Special Award" for a special project, goal, or activity. An example from 2003 is The Genesee District Library, (Flint, Mich.) for opening a 3,800 square foot demonstration location inside a busy shopping center to take their services to the people. Since their initial opening, this new location has averaged over 7,000 visitors per month and registered over 2,000 new cardholders. Hamilton Library has three books by Dana, and twelve in which he writes the introduction or is the editor. John Cotton Dana: A Sketch provided samples of his writing, quotes, and stories from his associates. This was a great insight into this man, a person I wish I could have known. It was the most important resource in developing an image of a breathing individual. Combined, these materials fleshed him out.   Jones, Pyddney, ed. Great Library Promotion Ideas VI. Chicago: American Library Association, 1991. Hadley, Charles. John Cotton Dana: A Sketch. Chicago: American Library Association, 1943. Wynar, Bohdan S., ed. Dictionary of American Library Biography. Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. 1978.   http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/about_jcd.htm accessed 10/7/03. http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/danabio.shtml accessed 10/7/03. http://www.ala.org accessed 10/7/03.