I am looking for a version 1.0 of the user manual for an electronic
parts catalog system called "PAIS" that was used by Crysler car
dealerships around 1988-89 time frame.    The manual was titled simply
"PAIS User's Manual" and was published by Bell & Howell Publication
Systems Company.  PAIS stands for Parts Access Information System.  A
version 1.X of the manual may also be a winning candidate if I can
verify revision date and it is sufficiently close to date of version
1.0.  In general I need to have enough information to get my hands on
the manual and be able to document where it came from.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 15 Sep 2005 17:04 PDT

buddyt-ga,

I contacted the company that made the PAIS system and this was their response:


"We do not have any user manuals going back that far.  Although our
current PAIS EPC includes data from early 80?s."


Can you make use of a current version of PAIS with its inclusion of old data?


Let me know.

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by buddyt-ga on 16 Sep 2005 07:43 PDT

Thanks Pafalafa, but I'm afraid not.  We actually have a version 2.2
that includes a lot of material as we understand it from the first run
in '88, but really need the version 1.0.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 16 Sep 2005 08:22 PDT

buddyt-ga,

Too bad!

Another possibility is to contact the Chrysler corporate archivist at:

DaimlerChrysler Corporate Historical Collection
CIMS 410-11-21
12501 Chrysler Freeway
Detroit, MI 48288


I found their telephone number as well -- 313-252-2902 -- but the
information I found specifically says that all requests for
information should be sent via mail (how convenient!).  Since it made
no sense for me to do it, I thought that I could at least provide this
lead.

Hope it works out...let me know.


paf

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Clarification of Question by buddyt-ga on 16 Sep 2005 09:17 PDT

Super, I will follow up today with a letter and let you know the results.

buddyt,

You should be able to find what you're looking for from the University
Library of Maryland.

See: http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCV/histmss/findingaids/shneiderman/series1.html

Find: "Box 76 Folder 16 Bell & Howell; Parts Access Information
System, March 1990 [Research]"

Contact Information: http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCV/arcvmss/news.html#contact

I hope this is helpful.

Justin

Justin,
Thank you for your fast response.  I will look into this information,
but from what I can see on web page it looks like this is from 1990
which would probably be a version 2.0 manual.  The date is really
critical for our purposes.  We need a version that was clearly
published in 1988.  I will keep let you kno what if anything turns up
from this though.

It is my advise that you re-contact the company... Bell & Howell
Publications who published the manual, they should be able to inform
you of the exact printing company who printed the many copies of the
original version of the manual, and there it shall be, midst the
archive file. Printing companies always keep copies of literature they
have printed (especially for such a large corportaion; Chrystler
Corp). Possible location-solved, hands on possession-archive "sticky
finger", origination "see virtual manual."

I have found 1989 Chrystler Dodge Plymouth Parts Book., and 1989
Chrystler Imports Ram 50 parts book.  Both are waiting for your
answer.  Which one is it?
We'll be waiting.

Pafalafa,
Thank you for your efforts, we have more recent version of the manual
and understand that some of dates back to early 80's but really need
the original manual so that there is no dispute over what was
originally in the manual.  The problem comes from the fact that there
were revisions and some question over what was revised when.

gq44,
Thank you for your response, the parts books are different than the
PAIS user manaul. The user manual is a guide to an electronic parts
catalog called PAIS.  We need version 1.0 of that User Manual.

Contacted printer may be productive, I will look into that.  Could you
clarify for me what you meant by Possible location-solved, hands on
possession-archive "sticky finger", origination "see virtual manual."?

Justin, 
I contacted the Univerisity of Maryland and there were quite helpful.
Turns out what they had was a brochure promoting the system and not
the user manual though.