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John Cotton Dana (born August 19, 1856 in Woodstock, Vermont - died 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. 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. After Dana's death, his successor at the Newark Public Library referred to him as "The First Citizen of Newark". The pre-legal department of New Jersey Law School, transitioning from a two-year to a four-year curriculum in 1930, renamed the school Dana College (Watkins 2006, 2).