Maija Berndtson is the director of Helsinki City Library since 1987. She is qualified librarian and obtained a Master of Arts degree at Helsinki University. She has been internationally active in different projects within European Union, such as PubliCA, Public Libraries Concerted Action in 1997-1999. She was a member of the International Network of Public Libraries run by the Bertelsmann Foundation in 1998-2001 and during that time wrote the Management Self-Assessment report in 1999 and Dreaming the Future - Some Funky Ideas on Managing Tomorrow's Library in 2001. She has co-authored Virtual Impact on the Physical Library, Visions for Intelligent Change in 2002. She has written many articles in Finnish library journals and authored books and has lectured in many international conferences all over Europe, Asia and Australia. She was a jury member of the Architectural Competition for the New Cultural Centre of Turin in 2000-2001 and the International Architecture Competition of Stockholm Public Library in 2006-2007. In 2000 Helsinki City Library was the first recipient of Access to Learning Award given by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Helsinki City Library received one million dollars in recognition of achievement in promoting the positive potentials of the internet.