In 1889 the Denver Public Library boasted of a fine collection. The librarians worked in peaceful seclusion over its catalogs, browsed undisturbed among the locked shelves. Bolok-seekers seldom dared or had a chance to interrupt them in their solemn labors. But one day the quiet, musty atmosphere of the building was suddenly shattered. John Cotton Dana, a civil engineer, was made Librarian. Declaring the value of a library was not in its collection but circulation, he opened the shelves, removed red-tape, gave Denver citizens a chance to read. When this was accomplished the...
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