Don D. Jackson Archive
The Don D. Jackson Archive is a collection of documents upon which much of the field
of systemic marriage and family therapy and brief therapy are based. The Archive
contains thousands of original audio recordings, video recordings, and original paper
documents including unpublished research materials from numerous completed research
projects; collections of published writings by key members (Jackson, Bateson, Weakland,
Fisch, Watzlawick, Satir, and Haley); hundreds of rare photographs; first edition
books and original articles, and much more. Significant collections from other leading
family theorists and therapists are also housed in the Jackson Archive, including
Carl Whitaker, Gianfranco Cecchin, R. D. Laing, Heinz von Foerster, Bradford P. Keeney,
Steve de Shazer, and others.
About the Archive
Students studying counseling, marriage and family therapy (MFT), social work, and
other related fields benefit from accessing the Archive's documents. The Archive supports
students' and others' efforts in preparing assignments, completing assignments, writing
articles and books, and completing dissertations. 
Thus far, approximately 20 dissertations have been written based on materials in the
Archive: 12 at ULM and additional dissertations by researchers at other universities
including Harvard, Virginia Tech, Syracuse University, and Nova Southeastern, all
of whom traveled to ULM to study materials preserved in the Archive.
The Archive was founded at the Mental Research Institute (MRI) by Dr. Wendel Ray in
1987. Since joining the ULM MFT faculty in January 1990, the Archive has been a joint
research project of the ULM Marriage and Family Therapy and Systemic Studies Master's
and Doctoral Programs. As a working archive, rare documents are constantly being preserved
and duplicated in digital format and used as the basis for publishing and research.
Acquisition of materials and expansion of the Archive's holdings as well as expenses
incurred by operating the archive have been funded by donations and external funds.
The founder expects the continued growth of the Archive will continue to be funded
by donations and external funding sources.
In late 2017, the Archive began partnering with the ULM Library to enhance the Archive's
discoverability and accessibility to researchers. The Statement of Purpose, Narrative
Description, and General Inventory can be found here (though it should be noted that it is not currently up-to-date). A bibliography of
Dr. Don J. Jackson's works can be accessed here.
Location
Strauss Hall #314
700 University Avenue
Monroe, LA 71209
Hours of Operation
The Archive is open year round and a varying times during the day based on ULM's academic
schedule. Please check with the Dr. Ray for current hours of operation, (318) 342-1329
or (318) 342-1330.
Links of Interest
Introduction to Systems Theory
Don Jackson Archive Documentary with Spanish Subtitles
KEDM Jackson Archive Interview
Dr. Jackson on Marital Paradox
Family Systems #1: Introduction
Family Systems #2: Cybernetics
Honour & Advance Conference featuring Dr. Dorothy Becvar and Dr. Raphael Becvar (Nov. 30, 2017)
Library Resources
