Lisa,
thank you for your insightful knowledge on this topic. You've obviously been a great help. 
le_geo
While Maya hasn't shipped with any 'manuals' for some time now it does, however, come with a very useful help menu. Try hitting the F1 key once in a while and you'll find loads of useful information in there. Including a whole tutorial on how to use the MAYA LIVE feature.
Dave Baer
Professor of Digital Arts
Digital Media Arts College
Boca Raton, Florida
dbaer@dmac.edu