Bowen began her professional career by serving as Archivist at the Walter Reuther Library of Wayne State University from 1975 to 1976, before moving on to serve as Archivist for the National Board of the YWCA in New York City from 1976 to 1978. She next held the position of Cataloguer/Archivist at the University of Memphis from 1978 to 1980.

After relocating with her family to the St. Louis area, Ms. Bowen served for five years as Curator of Manuscripts at the Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, before assuming the position of archivist at Lovejoy Library, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. From 1991 to 1993, Ms. Bowen served as Acting Director for Undergraduate Assessment and Program Review in SIUE's Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Long active in both her profession and her community, Bowen was a member of the Society of American Archivists, the Midwest Archives Conference, and was a past president of the Association of St. Louis Area Archivists. She was a contributor to the American Archivist and to the Midwest Archivist.

To honor her memory, the university archives and special collections unit of Lovejoy Library, was renamed for Louisa Bowen at a ceremony held on January 9, 1997. In addition, the Midwest Archives Conference has named its graduate student financial award the Louisa Bowen Graduate Scholarship.