The Murray Bowen Collection at the National Library of Medicine
National Library of Medicine
Many of Dr. Bowen’s professional papers, as well as the extensive collection of audio and video tapes, are now at the National Library of Medicine in Washington DC, and are accessible to researchers for ongoing study, application and theoretical work.
The NLM is currently processing this collection, and the papers will be available on their web site at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/
Paper Records at the National Library of Medicince
If you are interested in accessing the collection, see the NLM website for how to arrange a visit. The collection is housed in the History of Medicine Division
Until the collection is completely processed, there are several restrictions and conditions of access. Please contact John Rees, Archivist, at reesj@nlm.nih.gov with questions or to coordinate access.
The Williamsburg Project contains documents from the Bowen home. These include materials from college, medical school and psychiatric training at The Menninger Foundation, and “Dear Family” letters written over the years. Joanne Bowen is taking the lead on preparing this collection to be moved to NLM.
The Bowen family continues to work with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to define the processing plan for the Williamsburg Collection. During 2018, family members, assisted by volunteers, completed inventorying and rehousing Murray Bowen’s personal property. They photographed each object, gave each a catalog number, developed an excel program and entered data, including object description, date made, and condition. In addition, Dr. Joanne Bowen, worked with volunteers to record books in Murray Bowen’s personal library. She, with volunteer assistance, developed a metadata system to record titles, publication dates, publishers, inscriptions. and notes left in books. When completed, it will become, much like the list of Thomas Jefferson’s library, a permanent record that chronicles the growth of Bowen’s theory. This database will serve several purposes. First, a list from which NLM will be able to select books for accession, and second, a digital record of Murray Bowen’s library of books that date from as early as the late nineteenth-century until his death in 1990. Working with Rebecca Warlow, NLM’s Head of Images and Archives Section, Dr. Joanne Bowen has developed and will continue to refine the processing phases with associated costs needed to prepare Murray Bowen’s professional papers and family letters for their transfer to NLM, where they will join the rest of the collection.
Thank You to the Bowen Family
Research at the NLM, Step by Step
Identify Relevant Research Materials. The collection is extensive. Currently, it is organized in the boxes in which items were originally delivered to NLM. All boxes in a single delivery comprise an “accession.” Each accession is identified by a number that begins with the year the accession was acquired by NLM. (Example: Acc. 2006 was acquired in 2006.) Each accession (including PHI restrictions, if applicable) is described briefly at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/manuscripts/accessions.html#b
If you know there is a specific item that does not contain PHI (such as a set of published articles or videos not from the Clinical Conference series), it is not necessary to complete the PHI access application process. For access, please contact John Rees, Archivist, at reesj@nlm.nih.gov.
Apply. Because of the presence of PHI and other sensitive materials in the collection, access to it requires approval from the History of Medicine Division of NLM. The “Access to Health Information of Individuals” (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/manuscripts/phi.pdf) outlines the process for application. The request can be sent to John Rees at the email address above. Allow time for the application to be processed. Approval letters will be mailed to users and must be present during research visits.
In addition to the accession descriptions available online, the majority of the accessions have lists of folder titles for each box. If needed, once application for research has been made and approved, users can request these lists be emailed to them.
A detailed, cross-indexed annotated catalog of each item in the NIMH study portion of the collection (Accession 2006-003), created by Catherine Rakow, is available. In this catalog she also briefly describes topics in the other accessions, including 1) identification of files where Dr. Bowen’s papers (including drafts and original copies used for presentations) from that time period can be found, and 2) identification of files where information on research families can be found (requires PHI approval). To request this catalog, or make inquiries about the NLM collection and its contents, contact John Rees at reesj@nlm.nih.gov.
Physical Access to Materials. The Murray Bowen collection is sizable. Most of it is located at the History of Medicine’s offsite storage facility in Baltimore, MD. Once specific boxes containing relevant research materials have been identified, users must request the retrieval of those boxes for use at NLM in Bethesda. Retrievals are made the last Friday of each month. Requests must be made before the close of business on the last Thursday of the month. Casual “drop-ins” to NLM to browse through the collection are not possible. For planning purposes—the vehicle capacity used for retrieval is 20 boxes. Email the list of requested boxes to John Rees, Archivist at reesj@nlm.nih.gov.
Audio and Video Recordings. Dr. Bowen was a pioneer in the use of audio-visual equipment to record presentations, clinical sessions, and teaching. These recordings are part of the collection at the NLM. To view AV materials:
Using the accession descriptions (see above), identify the tape(s) you would like to view.
Contact John Rees, Archivist at reesj@nlm.nih.gov with information on the tapes you wish to view, and when you plan to be at NLM.
Within limits, low-resolution reference DVDs can be made from unrestricted video materials. If the quality of the DVD content does not meet your needs, higher-quality duplication of unrestricted video content can be arranged through film laboratories approved by NLM. Fees for this service are negotiated independently between the customer and vendor, not through NLM. See the “Historical Audiovisuals Program: User Agreement” of NLM for more information: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/help/reference/forms/films_agreement.pdf.
Because of PHI restrictions, clinical tapes (with the exception of videos of three subject families who have signed releases) can be viewed only by those users approved for PHI access. No reproductions of these tapes are allowed, and viewing must happen onsite at NLM.
