Back east again, he served as a librarian at the Springfield, Massachusetts public library from 1898 to 1902 and continued many of his Denver policies there. One of the changes Dana implemented at the Springfield library was to the physical building itself. He had workers tear down many of the railings and generally open the floor plan. Dana was adamant that patrons be permitted to browse the stacks: "Let the shelves be open, and the public admitted to them, and let the open shelves strike the keynote of the whole administration. The whole library should be permeated with a cheerful and accommodating atmosphere." Although these terms were not invented until nearly a century later, Dana concerned himself heavily with the ergonomics and usability of the library collections and facilities. He left Springfield after refusing to become involved in a power struggle with the library's patrons.