Maxim Fedorov is a journalist, author and public speaker with extensive experience reporting on Ukraine and Russia. He has worked as a correspondent in Ukraine for Finland’s public service broadcaster Yle, written several books on Ukraine, war, society and the Ukrainian language, and regularly speaks about everyday life in Ukraine, resilience, security and the impact of Russia’s war on Europe. Fedorov graduated from the University of Helsinki in 2010 with a Master of Arts degree in Finnish and has studied ten languages. 

Miina Kaarkoski
Dr., Adjunct Professor Miina Kaarkoski is a Senior Researcher at the Doctrine Division of the Finnish Defence Research Agency. Her research focuses on the information environment, with particular emphasis on cognitive warfare, willingness to defend and resilience. 

Ignacio Castillo, as Deputy Director General for Library Coordination, is responsible, in his role as secretary, for organising the Library Cooperation Council, where representatives of the various types of Spanish Libraries decide actions to improve the Spanish Library System.

Paula Menéndez manages the grants awarded by the Ministry of Culture to the system's libraries and coordinates the Accessibility and Sustainability Council's working group.
General Directorate for Books, Comics, and Reading, through the Deputy Directorate General for Library Coordination in Spanish Ministry of Culture, performs functions including, among others, coordinating actions to improve the approximately 5,800 registered libraries within the Spanish library system. To this end, and through cooperative procedures with library managers, it analyses the network's main needs, plans actions and investments, and distributes grants.

Svitlana Kovalchuk, PhD, Scientific Secretary of Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine, a member of the Ukrainian Library Association, Consultant for the UNESCO project “Libraries as Spaces of Psychosocial Support” (2024). Areas of professional interest: psychosocial support in the libraries, trauma-informed approach in library work, bibliotherapy. Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine is the leading state institution in the library sector. It also serves as a research, methodological, and coordinating center for all public libraries in Ukraine. 

Eleonor Grenholm is a Desk Officer at the National Library of Sweden, Libraries Collaboration Unit. She has extensive experience in digital skills and MIL and has followed and contributed to developments in library preparedness in Sweden since 2000. 

Emma Lang Åberg, formerly Head of Library Services in two Swedish municipalities, is now Department Manager for the Public Libraries in Lund. She is responsible for, among other areas, media acquisitions, library systems, staffing, sustainability issues, and emergency preparedness. 

Stine-Marie Schmedling is a sociologist and manager of department for democracy and freedom of speech at Tønsberg and Færder Library in Norway. Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) collaborated with the public library in Tønsberg on making a guide for public libraries on what the libraries can do to enhance civil protection. The presentation is about the guide and the events and other things the library has done. 

Ari Korhonen has served as Development Manager for Municipal Preparedness and Security at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities since 2020. He also coordinates the "Safe and Resilient Municipality Network". Previously, Korhonen held several senior positions in local government, including Mayor of Raisio and Deputy Mayor of Turku. He also edited the "Preparedness Planning Template for Municipal Libraries", published by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities in 2024. 


Miikka Mustikkamäki