Bell System Practices

The Bell System Practices (BSPs) is a compilation of technical publications which describes the best methods of engineering, constructing, installing, and maintaining the telephone plant of the Bell System under direction of AT&T and Bell Telephone Laboratories.^[1] Covering everything from accounting and human resources procedures through complete technical descriptions of every product serviced by the Bell System, it includes a level of detail specific to the best way to wrap a wire around a screw, for example.

With sections regularly updated, printed and distributed, the BSPs were the key to the standardized service quality throughout the Bell System. They enabled employees, who had never met previously, to easily work with one another in the event of a service outage, a disaster, or merely when relocating. Updates cover manufacturing changes phased into production during a product's lifetime of interest to the installer, including changed product features, internal component parts, available colors and installation procedures. Collectors also use these documents to help date and restore vintage telephones.