Notice of Proposed Information Collection Request: IMLS Grants to States Program State Reporting System, Including Site Visit Checklist

AGENCY:

Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities.

ACTION:

Notice, request for comments on this collection of information.

SUMMARY:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This pre-clearance consultation program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The purpose of this Notice is to solicit comments related to the IMLS Grants to States Program State Reporting System, including Site Visit Checklist. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the addressee section below on or before July 03, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments to Connie Bodner, Ph.D., Director of Grants Policy and Management, Office of Grants Policy and Management, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW, Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20024-2135. Dr. Bodner can be reached by telephone: 202-653-4636, or by email at cbodner@imls.gov. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (TTY users) can contact IMLS at 202-207-7858 via 711 for TTY-Based Telecommunications Relay Service.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Teri DeVoe, Associate Deputy Director for Grants to States, Office of Library Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW, Suite 4000, Washington DC 20024-2135. Ms. DeVoe can be reached by telephone at 202-653-4778, or by email at tdevoe@imls.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

IMLS is particularly interested in comments that help the agency to:

• Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

• Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques, or other forms of information technology, ( e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses).

I. Background

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of Federal support for the Nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.

II. Current Actions

The Grants to States program is the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the U.S. Using a population-based formula, more than $160 million is distributed among the State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) every year. SLAAs are official agencies charged by the Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9121 and 20 U.S.C. 9141) with the extension and development of library services, and they are located in each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the five Territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the three Freely Associated States of Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Each State Library Administrative Agency (SLAA) is required, under 20 U.S.C. 9101 et seq. (in particular 20 U.S.C. 9134), to submit a plan that details library services goals for a five-year period, along with associated certifications. Pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 9134 (c), each SLAA that receives an IMLS grant under the Grants to States program is required to evaluate and report on all funded project activities to IMLS, prior to the end of the execution of its five-year plan. Each SLAA receives IMLS funding to support activities for the five-year period through a series of overlapping two-year grant awards. Each SLAA must file interim and final financial reports, and final performance reports for each of these two-year grants through IMLS's State Program Report (SPR) system. This action is to incorporate a Site Visit Checklist as a stand-alone form in the SPR system, which has an OMB Control Number of 3137-0071, expiring 8/31/2024.

Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Title: IMLS Grants to States Program State Reporting System, including Site Visit Checklist.

OMB Number: 3137-0071.

Agency Number: 3137.

Respondents/Affected Public: State Library Administrative Agencies.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 59.

Frequency of Response: Annually for the State Program Report, once every five years for the Site Visit Checklist.

Estimated Average Burden per Response: 47.83 hours for the State Program Report (annually), 20 hours for the Site Visit Checklist (once every five years).

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 2,822.

Cost Burden (dollars): $87,086.

Public Comments Invited: Comments submitted in response to this Notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB's clearance of this information collection.