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, Sweden, the son of Einar Willers, a police judge, and his wife Malin (née Dahlgren). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in 1931 and worked at the

Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consis ...

's library from 1931 to 1936. Willers attended the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...

in 1933 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1936 and studied history and

library science Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

in 1937 and 1938 and in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

from 1938 to 1939 when he earned a Licentiate degree.

Career

Willers worked at the Riksdag Library from 1941 to 1942 and the

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga biblioteket, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish ...

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 arou ...

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 Cité may refer to: Places * Cité (Paris Métro), the metro station on the ''Île de la Cité'' * Cité (Quebec), type of municipality in Quebec * Citadel, the historical centre of an old city, originally fortified * Housing estate, a group of ho ...

from 1946 to 1947. He then served as

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de con ...

in history at

Stockholm University College Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: la ...

from 1945 to 1950 and from 1946 to 1947 Willers served as librarian at the

Sainte-Geneviève Library Sainte-Geneviève Library (french: link=no, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève) is a public and university library located at 10, place du Panthéon, across the square from the Panthéon, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. It is based on the ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. 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 In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

' 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, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is b ...

Nobel Committee A Nobel Committee is a working body responsible for most of the work involved in selecting Nobel Prize laureates. There are five Nobel Committees, one for each Nobel Prize. Four of these committees (for prizes in physics, chemistry, physiolo ...

, 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 ho ...

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 ...

, 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 The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

GER_Bundesverdienstkreuz_5_GrVK_Stern_218px

Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Grand_Knight_BAR

Grand Knight's Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. ...

(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 The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

For_Zealous_and_Devoted_Service_of_the_Realm_ribbon

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') ( English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gu ...

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 *Member of the

Royal Skyttean Society The Royal Skyttean Society () is a scholarly and scientific academy with its seat in the northern Swedish university town of Umeå. It is one of the 18 Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 29 April 1956, taking its name from the 17th cent ...

*Honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence ...

References

External links

Bibliography
at

LIBRIS LIBRIS (Library Information System) is a Swedish national union catalogue maintained by the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm. It is possible to freely search about 6.5 million titles nationwide. In addition to bibliographic records, one ...

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