John Cotton Dana

Almost a century ago, museum pioneer John Cotton Dana (1856-1929) was advising museums to reach out to underserved audiences and "be of direct and useful service" to their communities. The founder of the Newark Museum, Dana was surprisingly prescient for his day, writing about such issues as museum-school-library collaborations, marketing and promotion, and informal learning in museums. Dismissing the idea that the museum's sole mission is to safe-guard the world's treasures, Dana believed that museums should strive to enrich people's everyday lives. Includes an annotated bibliography.