Conservation issue - shrink-wrapped manual

[Evan Koblentz]

> So I have a question for people who are involved in museums, and similar
> roles - how intense should I be about keeping things just as they were?

There are a few things to consider. For example:

1. How rare/valuable is the item?
2. What else might be inside the package?
3. Will opening it cause any damage?
4. Can you store it in a suitable way after opening?

A DEC product guide isn't very rare.

One time, my group had an unopened box from a famous computer company. 
We decided to open it. It contained a far more precious artifact than we 
expected. Had we not opened it, we wouldn't have known what we had!

You can always put the guide into a Zip-Lock bag or whatever.

So I'd say open it.