At the close of the KLAS Users' Group Business Meeting held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, there were two candidates for Vice President of the KLAS Users' Group. Per KLAS Users' Group Bylaws, in the case of two candidates being nominated for a KLAS Users' Group officer position an online election must be held within one month following the KLAS Users Group Business Meeting. The day after the business meeting one candidate withdrew their nomination and threw their support behind the other. However, as the opportunity for vote via voce at the business meeting has passed, an online election open to the full Users' Group is still being held per the bylaws.
Please review the candidate's bio and provided statements below and cast your vote accordingly.
KLAS Users' Group Vice President Candidate Info
- Candidate's Name: J.D. Burns
- Job Title: Patron Services Coordinator
- Organization: MS1A / Mississippi Library Commission, Talking Book Services Department
About J.D.:
Howdy! My names J.D. Burns. I’m 37 years old and I’m from Jackson Mississippi (and proud of that, btw) where I live with my wife, two children, and five (gasp!) cats. When I’m not working you can usually find me at home hanging out with my kids, or on the off chance gigging or rehearsing with my band. I’ve played guitar since I was 12 years old, and been a gigging musician since 17, and contrary to most I think CD’s are the best way to listen to music. I love to cook and enjoy collecting cookbooks, even though I rarely follow the recipes I find in them. I read all sorts of things, but enjoy comics, horror, politics, and historical non-fiction (typical middle aged dad answer, right?) I love my job and serving our Talking Book Services (TBS) patrons.
What is your experience/background as it applies to serving as a Users’ Group Officer?
While I have not served in any capacity as a KLAS Users Group Officer before, I have consistently attended multiple administrative and users meetings as well as yearly conferences. I’ve also served on some committees within my organization, notably for a short time as interim secretary for our local Friends of Handicapped Readers group, and for about two years as co-president of our organizations events planning committee. In regards to KLAS specifically, I believe as an administrator and daily user of KLAS I have the experience of not only the broad functions but some of its more nuanced features and I’ve worked extensively in most of the modules due to my varied responsibilities over the 7 years I’ve been with MS1A. While I feel like there are always going to be new things to learn, or features I’ve misunderstood/underutilized, I feel confident in my knowledge of the system.
What kind of goals do you have for yourself as an Officer and/or for the Users’ Group?
In regards to personal goals I would love to continue learning about much of the background work KLAS is doing in regards to its daily functions, so as to better understand the system as a whole. I also love learning how others utilize KLAS, what their daily work flow is, how they problem solve or trouble shoot. Sharing tips and tricks to create a better user experience and more efficient routine. My goal would simply to be an asset to the Users Group and to help the group continue moving KLAS into the future as an indispensable tool. I believe I can offer a unique perspective that not only views KLAS as a cataloging, or circulation, or equipment inventory, or patron service tool-but rather all of those things interconnected. How each can have an effect on the other, and on the overall experience, and how that eventually effects the patrons we serve.
What’s your favorite book and why?
Picking a favorite anything is always difficult for me. My reading is varied, some days it’s body-horror, other days its political journalism, and other days its poetry. I also tend to feel anxious about this question since I read quite a lot of comics and graphic novels. Often when someone asks, they tend to think strictly print fiction/non-fiction, where I sometimes jump directly into comic territory. Clive Barker, Hunter S. Thompson, Anne Rice, Charles Bukowski, and Stephen Ambrose all come to mind as favorite authors, and Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is probably my favorite character. There are multiple story arcs that span many issues that could be considered a favorite ‘book’. Over the more than 300 interconnected single issues, Mignola blends dark fantasy, horror, religious iconography, myth, and even some humor in a way that really excites me and that I can return to over and over again.
TLDR; I have a lot of favorites and I don’t have any at all, but if you want to talk about comics, horror, politics, or hobbits I’m here for it.
Why do you want to serve as a KLAS Users’ Group Officer?
Simply put, as an officer I would like to be of service in a way that will benefit the average KLAS user in a tangible way, and in a way that will help them better serve their patrons. I hope my perspective can be of use as KLAS continues to develop and that I can offer insight as to how KLAS functions as we work directly with our TBS patrons.
