Meet Jon Braun

The Burlington County Library System is so lucky to have a team with wide-ranging knowledge and diverse interests. While many customers may know the names and faces of librarians at their local branch, we want to take the time to introduce more of our staff from around the system.

Photo of Jon Braun

Hi, I'm Jon Braun, Virtual Library Manger for the Burlington County Library System. I'm responsible for managing our website, social media and a variety of other things tech-savvy millennials get asked to do. This year marks my 17th year with BCLS and I'm always thankful to have a job that challenges me in different ways. From working the circulation desk, to creating webpages and videos that highlight library services, I've had the opportunity to experience almost every aspect of library operation.

I started at the Maple Shade Library in 2007, but I've always loved visiting the BCLS. As a kid, I would play Little Critter games on computers at the Burlington County Library, borrow Encyclopedia Brown books from the small trailer library in Pemberton Boro and browse audiobooks on cassette at the red brick library in Browns Mills (prior to the new branch being built in 2001). When I was younger, I never imagined I would work at the library, but I love having a job that enables me to help the community each day. I look at BCLS as a workshop. While you might visit the library to relax and read a book, that same space is being used by others in different ways. Kids are learning how to animate in stop-motion, teens are learning how to enhance the world around them and families are building birdhouses.

This transformative place has helped shape thousands into the people they've become and I'm proud to be one of the many that help keep BCLS an awesome place to learn and grow.

Fun facts about me:

  • I enjoy listening to podcasts. Some of my favorites include Dan Carlin's Hardcore Histories and Doug Loves Movies.
  • When I'm not listening to podcasts, I'm using Libby! This awesome little app from Overdrive connects to the library's digital collection, allowing me to find an audiobook within seconds.
  • While I was a big reader as a kid, the same cannot be said for me as an adult. It can take me an incredibly long time (sometimes humorously so) to finish a book. Frankenstein took me almost three years to finish! I don't know why this happens, but I find that I can drift away from a story even if I am thoroughly enjoying it.
  • I'm a movie buff, with a love for all things cinema. I retain a ton of useless trivia that occasionally results in me rambling about anything from Citizen Kane to Fast Five.
  • I also enjoy bad movies. My all-time favorite is Street Fighter: The Movie, starring Raul Julia and Jean Claude Van Damme. Strangely enough, it is not available to borrow from the library.
  • Water is the best drink on the planet, this fact is not about me...it is just a fact. Coffee is in second place.
  • I’ve always enjoyed movie soundtracks and they are my go-to when working on the library’s website. My favorite theme is from Back to the Future, but my favorite composer is Michael Giacchino.
  • I have a collection of pins that’s been building for 20-plus years. It has everything from my favorite movies, books and bands to political buttons and places I've traveled. It's my favorite way to support independent artists and capture the memory of a place or moment in time.
  • A few years ago, I worked with a group of librarians to develop a program for kids where they learn how to tell their own stories using stop-motion animation techniques!
  • Before BCLS switched over to a Drupal-based website, I used Lynda.com to learn the essentials. While we no longer offer access to Lynda.com courses, Udemy for Libraries has thousands of on-demand courses and lesson plans to help you in the same way!