improving the Manual

The questions you asked are answered by the editing guidelines, which of course you’ve read before making any modifications:
panda3d.org/manual/index.php/Talk:Main_page

As for the libraries, to the best of my knowledge:

avcodec-53.dll         - Part of ffmpeg, linked into the core, so don't remove it
avdevice-53.dll        - Part of ffmpeg.  We don't use this one.
avfilter-2.dll         - Same, we don't use this one either.
avformat-53.dll        - Part of ffmpeg, linked into the core, so don't remove it
avutil-51.dll          - Part of ffmpeg, linked into the core, don't remove
cg.dll                 - Cg runtime
cgD3D10.dll            - Cg+DX10, you can remove this
cgD3D11.dll            - You can remove this, too
cgD3D8.dll             - Same
cgD3D9.dll             - Cg for DirectX 9
cgGL.dll               - Cg for OpenGL
cv100.dll              - Part of OpenCV, linked into the p3vision module
cvaux100.dll           - Same
cvcam100.dll           - Same
cxcore100.dll          - Same
cxts001.dll            - I have no idea.
d3dx9_37.dll           - Part of DirectX 9 runtime
fmodex.dll             - FMOD EX sound system
fmodexL.dll            - Same, but I don't think we use this one
highgui100.dll         - Part of OpenCV, linked into p3vision
libguide40.dll         - I don't remember.  Maya? Or OpenCV?
libp3direct.dll        - Contains various modules like the interval system
libp3dtool.dll         - Core of Panda, don't remove
libp3dtoolconfig.dll   - Part of Panda's core
libp3fmod_audio.dll    - Panda's FMOD module.
libp3framework.dll     - Not 100% sure if Python users need this one
libp3glstuff.dll       - Important for OpenGL stuff.
libp3mayaloader2008.dll- obvious
libp3mayaloader2009.dll- "
libp3mayaloader2010.dll- "
libp3mayaloader2011.dll- "
libp3mayaloader2012.dll- "
libp3mayaloader6.dll   - "
libp3mayaloader65.dll  - "
libp3mayaloader7.dll   - "
libp3mayaloader8.dll   - "
libp3mayaloader85.dll  - "
libp3openal_audio.dll  - OpenAL audio library wrapper 
libp3ptloader.dll      - Allows you to load .x, ,dxf, etc using loader.loadModel
libp3pystub.dll        - Only needed for the binary tools to run, not the libraries
libp3vision.dll        - Webcam stuff, and OpenCV integration
libp3windisplay.dll    - Needed by display modules on Windows
libpanda.dll           - Contains the gist of the Panda3D stuff
libpandaai.dll         - PandaAI 
libpandabullet.dll     - Bullet physics integration 
libpandadx8.dll        - Panda3D DirectX 8 renderer 
libpandadx9.dll        - Panda3D DirectX 9 renderer 
libpandaegg.dll        - Egg loader, you can remove this if you don't load eggs
libpandaexpress.dll    - Part of Panda's core
libpandafx.dll         - Some esoteric stuff like special lenses
libpandagl.dll         - Panda3d OpenGL renderer 
libpandaode.dll        - ODE physics engine wrapper 
libpandaphysics.dll    - Panda3D's internal physics engine 
libpandaphysx.dll      - PhysX physics engine integration
libpandaskel.dll       - Example module, you don't need this.
libpandatiff.dll       - Loads tiff images, I think it's linked into the core
libtinydisplay.dll     - Panda3D software renderer 
mfc90.dll              - Microsoft Foundation Class
mfc90u.dll             - "
mfcm90.dll             - "
mfcm90u.dll            - "
ml100.dll              - OpenCV stuff again
msvcm80.dll            - MS standard library
msvcm90.dll            - "
msvcp80.dll            - "
msvcp90.dll            - "
msvcr80.dll            - "
msvcr90.dll            - "
msvcrt.dll             - "
ode.dll                - ODE physics engine 
OpenAL32.dll           - OpenAL audio library 
postproc-51.dll        - An ffmpeg library we don't use
python2X.dll           - Just a copy snatched from the Python installation
swscale-2.dll          - Part of ffmpeg, we do use this