Q1.         How can I download a file or manual?

 

A1.         The Manual Museum does not have file downloading or sharing in the conventional sense. We have adopted a methodology that uses e-mail and after you make your request, we send the manual to you, if we have it, via e-mail. In the case of very large manuals, we break the PDF into more manageable chunks and send them to you over time, so that your inbox does not block up.

 

Q2.         Is it really free, what’s the catch?

 

A2.         The manuals are 100% totally and genuinely free, we didn’t pay for them and in turn do not expect anything for them. The manufacturers in most cases provided them along with the product as a service to the customer and in the majority of cases they never charged either. We do accept donations via PayPal on a voluntary basis which goes towards covering the costs of running the Post Office box, the domain and server charges and data charges, we do not pay anyone, all researchers and associated workers are voluntary.

 

Q3.         How can I upload a manual to you?

 

A3.         Not in the traditional sense, however we do rely heavily on individual peoples contributions as well as companies and larger institutions, and the method of getting the manual to us is via PDF file attached to a conventional e-mail, sent to info@manualmuseum.com If you can’t use PDF, you can attach the manual as a Word Document or any other recognised format and we will convert it for you into a PDF. See below for physical paper manuals. Under certain conditions, we can bypass the e-mail system and use FTP or even messenger, however our preferred method is via simple e-mail.

 

Q4.         What are the copyright implications?

 

A4.         To all intents and purposes we acknowledge the copyright laws and abide by them. We collect the manuals for the purpose of review and critique, research and study and the manuals are exclusively only for educational purposes and definitely not for profit or any form of corporate benefit. Where a copyright is known to exist we will only send 10% of the manual, however when discussing what manual you want, if it is copyrighted, we will ask you what part you want i.e. parts list, user controls, schematic, general instructions and so on. We have through experience been able to, in most cases, get the most important part to the people in 10% or less. In un-copyrighted material, we send the entire manual. Our website carries extensive warnings regarding copyright material and has a dedicated Fair Use Notice page which has links to the Commonwealth Of Australia Copyright Act 1968.

 

Q5.         How can I help, get involved?

 

A5.         We are always looking for good researchers who have Internet skills and can ferret through the trillions of web pages to find obscure manuals that are requested, it sort of like playing detective without leaving your house. We also are constantly growing and require help in several administrative areas, however please remember that this is a 100% voluntary organisation and there is no payment other than the reward of making a difference and preserving our history for our children.

 

Q6.         What are the Manual Museums future plans?

 

A6.         We have some expansion plans, that will include areas for people to use their own writing skills as well as eventually the possibility of a searchable database and other technology that gets what you want to you faster. We understand that we have to continue to amass manuals at an increasing rate, therefore servers and storage needs to be kept in tune with growth and we must be ready to evolve down whatever road the future takes us. Because we are a non-profit organisation, we can expand and evolve in any direction we choose, as new and emerging technologies arrive. We are also thinking of a future where we expand our idea beyond the English language and look towards the time that Governments befriend us and extend a helping hand, so that we can take the concept even further.

 

Q7.         I don’t think you would want the manual I have?

 

A7.         Wrong, we want every manual that was ever written about everything that was ever made. You might ask the question – why? The answer is really simple, if a manual once existed, you can bet that someone, somewhere, someday would like to have it, either to learn how the object was constructed or how it worked. In fact as time marches on, and the manuals become older, there is more likelihood that young inquiring minds will be thirsty for the knowledge contained within these wonderful old manuscripts. The manuals of bygone days is the best history teacher you can ever possibly hope to find.

 

Q8.         Can I make a financial donation?

 

A8.         Yes via PayPal which is instant, safe and secure. The donation can be of any size large or small and the money will go towards the fees incurred in running the Manual Museum, which are mainly administrative (Post Office, computers, etc.) and Internet related costs such as servers, domain registration, data charges. We have a policy where we expedite manuals to people first if they make a small financial donation, this is only fair. If you do not make a financial donation, you still get your manual anyway, except it will not be despatched as speedily as the high priority despatches that go to people who financially assist us. We believe this to be a fair system and strongly emphasise that everyone will get the manual they request if we have it, and if we don’t have it we will try to locate it and or direct you to a site where you can obtain it yourself.

 

Q9.         Can I send the physical paper manual to you?

 

A9.         Yes you can, however we cannot return the documents once we have received them, therefore if you send physical paper manuals you are indeed donating them to the Manual Museum in perpetuity. Please send your contributions to the Manual Museum, PO Box 445, Pendle Hill, NSW, 2145, Australia

 

Q10.       I can’t use PDF, will you accept anything else?

 

A10.       Yes, despite our preference being for the PDF format, we will gratefully accept manuals in any format, e.g. Word Document or even a copied and pasted text version of a rare original. The point being that the manual itself and the history it contains within its words and diagrams is the important thing, not the technology we are using today to make things easy for us. So, regardless of what you have and what format it’s in, we would love a copy to share with the people of the world, today and more importantly, tomorrow.