Why are there no printed manuals

In the Office of Auxiliary (Commandant CG -3PCX), the Chief Director makes decisions throughout the year on the amount of materials stocked at ANSC.  These decisions are made in light of substantial information including stocking levels over several years, trends in Auxiliarist usage, ANSC's unfilled requests, and available funding to stock items.

Currently, a Boat Crew Manual costs approximately $40 to print, and a CD costs 20 cents to produce.  In order to maximize the limited program resources the Coast Guard allocates every year, we promote paperless applications to the greatest extent possible.  This closely aligns with, and supports, the Coast Guard's ongoing efforts to leverage electronic tools and processes for its training, communications, and professional development needs.

As a result, there are progressively fewer manuals in print, and more are available on CDs as well as web based sources.  Many Auxiliarists have embraced this technology, particularly for the rapid ability to search several manuals at once using their computers' search function.