FLC DEV FROM ATC CLRNC. NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION.

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WE WERE ON ARR TO EWR AFTER FLYING IN FROM LFPG (PARIS). WE WERE ON A ROUTING FROM ALB V213 TO SPARTA AT 12000 FT MSL WHEN ZBW CLRED US TO ACOVE INTXN TO HOLD. WE WERE JUST PAST ALB; HEADING S AT THIS TIME. I REACHED FOR MY CHART (USHI 3/4) AND COULDN'T FIND IT QUICKLY REALIZING THAT I NEEDED A LOW ALT CHART. I DIDN'T HAVE IT. THE CAPT WHO WAS FLYING REACHED IN HIS BAG AND PULLED OUT A PILE OF CHARTS AND TOSSED THEM ON THE CONSOLE MEANWHILE I'M LOOKING OVER MY NY AREA CHART WHICH I LATER REALIZE IS A HIGH AREA CHART. I STARTED DIGGING THROUGH THE CAPT'S PILE OF CHARTS; NOT FINDING THE NEEDED LOW (US 25/26) AS IT LATER TURNED OUT TO STILL BE IN HIS BAG. AT APPROX 45 MI S OF ARB; ZBW ASKED US IF WE KNEW WHERE ACOVE INTXN WAS. 'NO' WE SAID AS WE WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING IT; WHEREUPON THEY INFORMED US THAT WE WERE 10 MI S OF IT; XING INTO ANOTHER SECTOR; AND STARTED VECTORING US TOWARDS IT. WE ULTIMATELY LOCATED THE CHART AND THE INTXN. THE PROB WAS MINE AS I SHOULD HAVE HAD ALL NECESSARY CHARTS FOR THE FLT. I'D STARTED TAILORING MY FLYING CHARTS FOR A PARTICULAR SERIES OF FLTS TO CUT DOWN ON THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL I CARRY IN MY BRAIN BAG. I'D SAID TO MYSELF; 'HOW MANY TIMES DO I EVER USE MY LOW ALT CHARTS?' (NEVER IN OUR NIGHT OPS). WE WERE ARRIVING DURING THE EVENING ON OUR PRE-PLANNED ROUTING WHICH WAS ON A VICTOR AIRWAY AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE CHARTS ACCORDING TO 121.549 AND OUR COMPANY OPS MANUAL. I HAD ALSO ACCEPTED A CLRNC FOR AN INTXN THAT I COULDN'T IDENT NOR DID I TELL ATC THAT WE WERE HAVING A PROB LOCATING IT. THEY WOULD HAVE HELPED.