Uno Erik Wilhelm Willers (20 October 1911 – 10 January 1980) was a Swedish historian and librarian. He served as National Librarian () of Sweden from 1952 to 1977.

Early life

Willers was born on 20 October 1911 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, the son of Einar Willers, a police judge, and his wife Malin (née Dahlgren). He passed '' studentexamen'' in 1931 and worked at the Karolinska Institute's library from 1931 to 1936. Willers attended the University of Marburg in 1933 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1936 and studied history and library science in Geneva in 1937 and 1938 and in Berlin from 1938 to 1939 when he earned a Licentiate degree.

Career

Willers worked at the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

Library from 1941 to 1942 and the National Library of Sweden from 1942. Willers was editor of the ("Swedish Student Calendar") from 1937 to 1944 and served as secretary of the

Stockholm Federation of Student Unions The Stockholm Federation of Student Unions ( sv, Stockholms studentkårers centralorganisation, SSCO) is an organisation for cooperation between students' unions in the Stockholm region. Through its 52 affiliated student unions SSCO represents aroun ...

in 1938. He was also a member of the Swedish Society for Personal History () from 1943. Willers was a member of the Swedish intelligence agency

C-byrån C-byrån ("C bureau") was a Swedish secret intelligence agency established in 1939, sorting under the Swedish Armed Forces. It was led by Major Carl Petersén. During World War II C-byrån organized operations in the German-occupied Norway and O ...

during World War II. Willers earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1945 was director of the ("the Swedish Student Home in Paris") at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris from 1946 to 1947. He then served as docent in history at Stockholm University College from 1945 to 1950 and from 1946 to 1947 Willers served as librarian at the Sainte-Geneviève Library in Paris. He was director of the Nobel Library of the Swedish Academy from 1946 to 1950 and was deputy director () and head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' archives from 1950 to 1952. Willers was appointed National Librarian () of Sweden and head of the National Library of Sweden in 1952. Willers became a reserve officer in 1938 and lieutenant of the

Swedish Army Quartermaster Corps The Swedish Army Quartermaster Corps ( sv, Intendenturkåren) was an administrative corps for personnel within the Swedish Army created in 1880. From the corps, the Swedish Army was provided with staff for various commissary positions. The head of ...

' reserve in 1938 and captain of the same in 1946. In 1947, he was appointed secretary in the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...

's Nobel Committee, a position he held until 1967. He was secretary in the ("Investigation concerning Stockholm University College's future position") in 1948 and in the ("Stockholm Library's Cooperation Committee") from 1949 to 1953, serving as its chairman in 1954. Willers was a substitute for the chairman of the ("Council of the Längman Culture Fund") in 1959 and board member of the ("Archive of the Swedish Labour Movement") from 1953 to 1971. He was a member of the working committee of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO () from 1954 to 1959 and its vice chairman from 1954 to 1959. Willers was chairman of the board of the ("Graphic Institute") from 1959 to 1974 and of the

Stockholm City Theatre Stockholm City Theatre ( sv, Stockholms stadsteater) is live performance theater located in Stockholm, Sweden. The theatre is situated near the Sergel fountain and the Stockholm City roundabout. Location It is located in one of Stockholm's m ...

from 1961 to 1970 as well the

Swedish Tourist Association The Swedish Tourist Association ( sv, Svenska Turistföreningen, ; abbreviated STF), founded in 1885, aims at promoting outdoor life and knowledge among the Swedes about their country. The Association maintains a variety of trails, huts and host ...

from 1961 to 1967. He was board member of the Office of the Chancellor of the Swedish Universities () from 1964 and chairman of the board of the Research Library Council () from 1964.

Personal life

In 1939, he married Greta Bellinder (born 1917), the daughter of the Justice of the

Supreme Court of Sweden The Supreme Court of Sweden ( sv, Högsta domstolen, abbreviated ''HD'') is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal mu ...

, Sven Bellinder and Karin (née Gustafsson). He was the father of Catharina (born 1939), Erik (born 1942), Margareta (born 1944) and Ulric (born 1948).

Awards and decorations

* Commander of the Order of the Polar Star * GER_Bundesverdienstkreuz_5_GrVK_Stern_218px

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Grand_Knight_BAR

Grand Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon (18 March 1953) * St_Olavs_Orden_kommandør_med_stjerne_stripe

Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

(1 July 1952) * Legion_of_Honour_-_Knight_(France)

Knight of the Legion of Honour * For_Zealous_and_Devoted_Service_of_the_Realm_ribbon

Illis quorum

Honors

*Member of the Royal Society for Publication of Manuscripts on Scandinavian History (''Kungliga Samfundet för utgivande av handskrifter rörande Skandinaviens historia'') (1952) *Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

*Member of the Royal Skyttean Society *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences

References

External links

Bibliography
at LIBRIS
Article
in ''Svensk tidskrift'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Willers, Uno 1911 births 1980 deaths Swedish librarians Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences People of the C-byrån People from Stockholm University of Marburg alumni Academic staff of Stockholm University Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Illis quorum