Bowen Archives
At the Annual Symposium in 1989, Dr. Bowen stated that his goal was “to give the theory to the world.” For several years the Bowen Center has been engaged in a project to catalogue, preserve, and make accessible to students of theory, researchers, and the general public the most extensive collection of audio and video material ever developed by a psychiatrist. This is an opportunity to document and make accessible a timeless resource.
Concerned that the opportunity would be lost to future generations if this material were not transferred to more stable formats and preserved, the Bowen Center engaged History Associates in 2001 to inventory and appraise the Bowen collection. Approximately 155 cubic feet in size and more than 2,200 hours of audio and video tapes, it is unmatched in extent and diversity of materials and is unique among Bowen’s contemporaries. Essentially, the collection reveals the gradual unfolding of the key concepts in Bowen theory.
Now that Dr. Bowen’s papers have been accepted by the National Library of Medicine, the immediate goal is to stabilize the gradually deteriorating audiovisual collection. To this end, we have submitted two grant proposals to the National Endowment of the Humanities and National Historic Preservation and Records Commission and will know our status in the spring of 2004. Even if we receive full funding, there are costs not covered by government grants. Consequently, private support estimated at $50,000 a year for four years is needed to restore and preserve the entire collection.
Within a relatively short period of time, “giving theory to the world” will mean that researchers around the world will be able to use their computers to browse a detailed, annotated database of video, audio, and manuscript materials, even as it is evolving. In the future, it will be possible to view original material directly over the internet. An advisory board of individuals with interest and expertise is guiding this project to its expected completion date of 2010.
We hope that you will make a donation to help us achieve Dr. Bowen’s vision and the Center’s goal of making theory accessible to all.
Michael E. Kerr, MD
Director
Priscilla J. Friesen, LCSW
Bowen Archives
Joanne Bowen, PhD
Bowen Family Trust
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