Valfrid Palmgren

Valfrid Palmgren was the daughter of Karl Edvard A H Palmgren (1840-1910) and his wife Ida Teresia Pohl (1853-1937). She was educated at Palmgrenska samskolan, her father's school which was the first co-educational school in Europe, and was herself active there as a teacher from 1896–1907. She graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Uppsala in 1905 and was employed as a Teaching assistant at the Kungliga biblioteket. [2]

She worked for reforms in the policy of the Swedish libraries, demanding that public libraries be open to all; that the loans be free of charge; that there be a public library accessible in each city; and that the libraries be free from political, commercial and religious censorship. During the Conservative government of Prime Minister Arvid Lindman, she was asked to write a government report proposing a new policy on libraries based on her international expertise and on the idea of popular enlightenment. She managed to have all her demands met and introduced to government policy, and is mainly remembered for this. In 1910, Palmgren was elected to the Stockholm City Council as a representative of the Conservative Party. [3]

She married Danish hydro-engineer Jon Julius Munch-Petersen (1873-1939) in 1911 and moved to Denmark. The couple had four sons including writer and painter Gustaf Munch-Petersen (1912–1938). She became a member of the board of the public libraries in Copenhagen in 1918. She served as a member of the board for the Copenhagen municipal library and was a lecturer at Copenhagen University. [4]

In 1932, she was awarded the Swedish Royal Medal Illis Quorum. In 1955, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Uppsala. [5]

• Ann-Cathrine Haglund, Ann-Marie Petersson, Inger Ström-Billing, red (2004) Moderata pionjärer: kvinnor i politiskt arbete 1900-2000 ( Stockholm: Sällskapet för moderata kvinnors historia) Libris 9666368. ISBN 91-631-5862-0