Career
Jón Árnason was educated at the Latin School in Bessastaðir. From 1848 to 1887, he was the first librarian at what became the National Library of Iceland in Reykjavík. In 1881 its name was changed from Íslands stiftisbókasafn (Foundation library of Iceland) and his title became Landsbókavörður Íslands (National Librarian of Iceland).
Meanwhile he also served as the first librarian of the Iceland branch of the Icelandic Literary Society.
He was also the first curator of the Forngripasafns Íslands (Icelandic Antiquities Collection), which became the National Museum of Iceland, when it was founded in 1863. Foreign a long time he ran both the museum and the library.
In addition, he supplemented his small salary by working as secretary to the Bishop and as a teacher and custodian of the library at the Latin School, which had moved to Reykjavík. In 1877, when he was put forward as one of 2 Icelandic representatives to the centennial celebration of Uppsala University, the government in Copenhagen objected to a "porter" representing Iceland because he was "janitor of the Iceland High School", as Guðbrandur Vigfússon anonymously worded it in an obituary.