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The TCI Library was created and is maintained by Telephone Collectors International, a non-profit organization, as a public service.  It supports our goal of helping to preserve the history of telephony -- particularly fragile paper documents that may otherwise be lost to posterity.  It is supported by members through dues and by the generous donations of funds and files from other sponsors and site visitors.  All work is done by members, who unselfishly volunteer their time.

The Document Repository is a collection of:

• downloadable files,
• documents which describe the contents of each file,
• categories, which group documents by subject and
• sub-categories, which group documents within a category.

Files are the scanned version of the material to be saved and viewed.  They are typically in .pdf format to preserve formatting and for ease of printing.  These files require a pdf reader, such as Adobe Acrobat to view.  Occasionally other formats, such as .jpg are used.  Most other formats can be viewed directly by popular browsers.

Documents typically include a title and description for each file.  A document is added for eqach file by the Library Staff, and is not part of the original file.  Where possible, we have added keywords that can be used to search for documents.  Thus, the simplest way to find a particular document of interest is to search for one or more keywords.  (See the search document for suggestions.)  Recommendations for additional keywords for any document are always welcome.  

Categories are defined to group documents for ease of browsing.  Where possible, the manufacturer’s coding structure is used.  For example, Bell System Practices (BSPs) are grouped by BSP series then BSP number.  If there is no unifying manufacturer code, documents are generally grouped by manufacturer name, then alphabetically or by date.  

Each category may include a list of sub-categories and documents.  By clicking on the appropriate link at the beginning of the document section, the list may be re-sorted alphabetically or by number of hits in ascending or descending order.

Sub-categories are created as the number of documents in a category becomes large.  This helps keep the number of documents at any category level manageable for browsing.  There may be several levels of sub-categories.  Documents that don't fall into sub-categories may be at any category level.  They are found after the sub-categories listed.

Examples of levels of sub-categories for various document types include:

Technical Reference Documents (e.g. BSP, GSP)

• By Company Name 
• By Document Series 
• By Document Number 

Catalogs, Manuals and Educational Documents

• By Company Name 
• By Document Type 
• By Date or Document Title

 Wiring Diagrams

• By Manufacturer 
• By Telephone Model Type or Model Number

Switching

• By Manufacturer

Please use the "Contact Us" link to send corrections, suggestions and additions.

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