IMLS PNLMS OMB Supporting Statement Part A 2013-07-08

Public Needs for Library and Museum Survey (PNLMS)

Data Collection

Supporting Statement for PRA Submission

A	Justification

A.1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

A.1.a. Purpose of the Submission

Approval is requested to conduct information collection for the

Public Needs for Library and Museum Services Survey (PNLMS)

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. IMLS' mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. IMLS works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.

Library Services

According to the IMLS Public Libraries in America Survey FY2009 annual report, per capita visits to public libraries increased nationwide by 24 percent from 2000 to 2009.¹ During the same period, per capita circulation increased by 26 percent.² The growth in demand for library services occurred as people were increasingly turning to the Internet and other mobile devices to meet their information needs and during the beginning of an economic recession. Providing access to the Internet and lending videos and electronic books are examples of the way U.S. public libraries are expanding their range of services to meet patron demands. The availability of Internet terminals in public libraries increased between 2000 and 2009, doubling on a per capita basis. Electronic media holdings also grew to keep pace with demand. The number of videos in public library collections doubled from 2000 to 2009; the number of electronic books for lending more than tripled from 2003 to 2009. In addition, due to the significant pricing differential between store and on-demand and library rental, the growth of video lending from public libraries has been substantial. According to a survey released by the Online Computer Library Center, U.S. public libraries lend an average 2.1 million movies per day — more than Netflix, Redbox, or Blockbuster. Services for children have also been increasing. Per capita circulation of children’s materials has increased by 17 percent over the past 10 years; the number of children’s programs has increased by 21 percent since 2005.³

Museum Services

The American Association of Museums reports that, despite financial stress in the economy, overall museum attendance increased in 2011.⁴  The report identified several reasons why museum attendance increased. For example, one reason for the increase in museum attendance was the aggressive marketing in local markets. This positioned museums to benefit from the “staycation” phenomenon, attracting visitors in nearby areas who were seeking alternatives to expensive travel and vacations. In addition, most museums maintained the price of admission and provided new or expanded discounts to military personnel and their families. Despite experiencing economic stress and declining revenues, one area that remained a priority for museums was education. From 2009 to 2011, many schools experienced substantial budget cuts, which in turn affected their ability to fund student travel and field trips. Many museums reported increases in marketing budgets or more aggressive efforts to attract such groups. Although visits by school groups decreased, museums worked to bring their resources to the schools through alternative museum experiences, either through off-site or virtual visits.⁵

A.1.b. Legislative Authorization

IMLS is responsible for identifying national needs for, and trends of, museum and library services funded by IMLS. IMLS must also report on the impact and effectiveness of programs conducted with funds made available by IMLS. IMLS must identify and disseminate information on the best practices of such programs.

20 U.S.C. Section 9108. Policy research, analysis, data collection, and dissemination

(a) In general

The Director shall annually conduct policy research, analysis, and data collection to extend and improve the Nation’s museum, library, and information services.

(b) Requirements

The policy research, analysis, and data collection shall be conducted in ongoing collaboration (as determined appropriate by the Director), and in consultation, with –

(1) State library administrative agencies;

(2) National, State, and regional library and museum organizations;

(3) Other relevant agencies and organizations.

(c) Objectives

The policy research, analysis, and data collection shall be used to –

(1) Identify national needs for and trends in museum, library, and information services;

(2) Measure and report on the impact and effectiveness of museum, library, and information services throughout the United States, including the impact of Federal programs authorized under this chapter;

(3) Identify best practices; and

(4) Develop plans to improve museum, library, and information services of the United States and to strengthen national, State, local, regional, and international communications and cooperative networks.  

(d) Dissemination

Each year, the Director shall widely disseminate, as appropriate to accomplish the objectives under subsection (c), the results of the policy research, analysis, and data collection carried out under this section.

As required by 20 U.S.C. §9108, IMLS is seeking to conduct an “analysis of the impact of museum and library services.” This analysis will be based on a telephone survey. The survey will measure expectations of and satisfaction with cultural programs and services, especially library and museum services.

A.1.c. Prior Related Studies

There are three main national-level collections that addressed the issue of household library and museum usage. One collection – Interconnections – was specifically designed as a household survey to measure household use of both libraries and museums. Two collections – the Current Population Survey (CPS) and General Social Survey (GSS) – are on-going general surveys that have had specific modules that included questions about library and museum usage.

The Interconnections Study was commissioned by IMLS to survey the information needs of users of online information with a primary focus on museums and public libraries. It was telephone survey of adults (18 and over). There were five separate modules for general information, library visits, museum visits, Internet usage, and other sources of information. There were a total of 5,251 interviews completed during the survey field administration in 2006. The survey was conducted by Jose-Marie Griffiths and Donald W. King, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Results were presented in a report in February 2008. The findings revealed that 70% of adults in the United States had visited a public library and 70% had visited a museum in the previous year. There was considerable overlap in adults who visited libraries and museums (51.7% of all adults).

The Household Use of Public and other Types of Libraries was last conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2002. This collection was administered as a supplement to the CPS by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was administered as a random-digit dialing phone interview.

The GSS is a collection of data on social characteristics and attitudes in the United States. It has been collected annual since 1972. GSS has included modules with items about museum and zoo visitation. The GSS is administered by the National Data Program for the Social Sciences at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

A.1.d. Study Design

IMLS has commissioned M. Davis and Company, Inc. (MDAC) to conduct the 2013 Public Needs for Library and Museum Services Survey (“PNLMS”). MDAC will use a random-digit dialing (RDD) telephone survey to determine attitudes toward library and museum services; to assess awareness of issues related to library and museum services; and to track trends in the use of those services. The PNLMS will be administered to a minimum of 3,525 adults and will contain a core set of questions that are based on critical information needs within IMLS (e.g., frequency of use of library and museum services and the satisfaction with such services). The survey will also collect demographic information about respondents (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and income). Of the 3,525 respondents, 25 will be used to pre-test the questionnaire. Of the remaining 3,500 interviews, which will comprise the final dataset, 2,975 will be completed with a landline sample using RDD and 525 will be completed with cell phone users.

A.2. Purposes and Uses of the Data

This study will provide local libraries and museums with national data on how museums and libraries are used, the level of public satisfaction, and needs for the future. Museums and libraries can use the national findings as context for achieving a better understanding of their programs and services, which will allow them to chart paths that maximize their relevance and utility to the communities they serve.

In addition, the survey will provide scientific data on which IMLS can base national policies and guidance to museums and libraries. This survey administration is considered the first of several administrations, thus the study will also provide a baseline for understanding future changes.

Actual use

This is a new data collection.

A.2.b. Research Issues Addressed in the PNLMS

The survey will consist of one questionnaire, administered to all respondents. The questionnaire was developed collaboratively between IMLS and MDAC. The questions represent informational needs and issues raised by IMLS program and operations staff. IMLS staff is aware of this collection and has contributed their technical expertise to the development of the questions.

The survey will collect detailed information important to helping IMLS fulfill on its role to provide leadership and funding for the nation’s museums and libraries. Questions can be answered with the data collected include the following:

• How frequently do adults and children visit libraries and museums?

• What is the nature of their physical and virtual access to library and museum services?

• What museum and library services do adults and children utilize?

• Which museum and services are most important to adults?

• What are the levels of satisfaction with library and museum services as a whole?

• What are the barriers to utilization of museum and library services?

• How frequently do adults and children utilize web-based library services?

A.3. Use of Improved Information Technology

MDAC will collect data via a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI), using random digit dialing (RDD) for the landline subsample and hand-dialing for the subsample of cell phone users. The study will employ a dual frame probability sample of households that combines a list-assisted random digit dialing (RDD) sample procedure with a cell phone exchange sample. The objective of the dual frame design is to increase the overall representativeness of the survey. This is necessary because many households in the U.S. are cell-phone only – almost 36% by January-June 2012 (Blumberg & Luke, 2012). The overall goal is to complete 3,500 interviews with users of public libraries and museums, with approximately 2,975 of these respondents coming from the RDD sample frame and 525 respondents coming from the cell phone sample.

The CATI system reduces respondent burden because the interviewer does not need to determine which questions should be asked of each respondent. Rather, the CATI system is programmed to know when to skip or ask questions based on previous question answers. Consequently, this avoids delays associated with interviewers determining which questions to ask.

A.4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

This information collection will not duplicate any previous studies. This unique effort is a comprehensive survey program that will determine attitudes, assess awareness of issues related to library and museum services, and track trends. The survey will be used to gather information on a wide range of cultural participation topics. Many previous IMLS studies have gathered information about institutions. This study differs because its central focus is to gather cultural information from individual people or households. This survey will gather information about a museum and library user’s broad experience during the past 12 months, especially moderate to light users of services. In addition, the survey will identify social correlates of users, such as race, education, and income. The survey will attempt to collect data that might highlight any differences that exist between urban and rural library and museum users regarding their participation and the quality of their participation. Finally, this survey will gather data about the use of museum and library services by children. Adults will be asked whether their children visited a museum or library in the past 12 months and the nature of the visits.

A.5. Method Used to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses

There will be no impact on small businesses or other small entities. The collection of information involves a nationally representative survey of the American public.

A.6. Frequency of Data Collection

The plan for this study calls for a data collection every three (3) years. Without this study, many important local decisions would be made without the benefit of scientific evidence. Libraries and museums would not be able to compare their own institution to other institutions, and would be hampered in determining new directions to serve the public better. Resources would be wasted on programs and services that are not used or valued by the public.

The burden to respondents is kept to a minimum. Each respondent participates in only one survey, and each household is limited to one respondent.

A.7. Special Circumstances of Data Collection

No special circumstances require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

A.8. Consultation and Feedback from Outside the Agency

A.8.1. Public comments solicited through Federal Register

IMLS published a notice in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period to announce this proposed information collection on November 29, 2010, Volume 75, Number 228, pages 73132-73133. A copy of the Federal Register Notice is provided in Attachment A. No comments were submitted.

IMLS published a notice in the Federal Register on February 20, 2013 (Volume 78, Number 35, page 12105-12106), with a 30-day public comment period to announce forwarding of the information collection request to OMB for approval.

A.8.2. Consultants Outside the Agency

In addition to reviews of past surveys and collections, both within and outside of the federal government, IMLS met with key stakeholders to discuss the collection, including representatives of the museum service organizations, such as The Alliance of American Museums, Association of Science and Technology Centers, Association of Children’s Museums, and Association of Zoos and Aquariums; directors of academic museum studies programs; and independent researchers and evaluators.

A.9. Provision of Payments or Gifts to Respondents

Reimbursing Cell Phone Respondents

For cell phone respondents, interviewers will use the following protocol:

• Cell phone numbers will be hand-dialed due to federal and state laws regarding “Do-Not-Call lists,” as well as FTC/FCC regulations, which prohibit using auto-dialers when contacting people on their cell phones.

• Interviewers will ask the respondent if they are over 18 years old and if s/he is in a safe place to conduct the interview (i.e. not driving, in a social setting or at work where they could not concentrate or would have difficulty hearing, etc.).

• If the respondent is not in a safe place to conduct the interview, interviewers will offer to schedule a time to call back later.

• Interviewers will provide a toll-free number which the respondent can call to complete the interview.

• If the respondent prefers not to use his or her cell phone for the interview, interviewers will ask for a landline number at which the respondent can be reached.

• If the respondent does use his or her cell phone to complete the survey questions, we will offer the respondent $5.00 for the cost of his or her minutes. 

MDAC also anticipates signing a cell phone waiver statement sent by M-S-G. The statement specifies that MDAC will follow the procedures outlined above. M-S-G requires a signed waiver prior to releasing the cell phone sample.

Incentive for Non-Respondents for Bias Follow-Up Study

In order to ensure the validity of the results of the overall collection, specifically with the low response rate (i.e., less than 80%) that is common with RDD samples, IMLS will conduct a follow-up study of non-respondents to examine the potential for bias in the overall sample. Because it is critical to get a sufficient number of non-respondents, people who have already demonstrated a reluctance to participate in the collection, a $10 contingent incentive will be provided to respondents for the follow-up study. This incentive will be announced both in the advance letter for the non-response follow-up survey and within the first 30 seconds of the phone script for the phone interview. The offer of an incentive has been demonstrated effective in lifting response rate, and $10 has been shown to be the smallest contingent incentive that will be effective in raising response rates.

A.10. Assurance of Confidentiality

Respondents to the telephone survey will be advised that the reports prepared for this study will summarize findings and will not associate responses with specific individuals, and that identifiable information will not be provided to anyone outside the research team or IMLS, except as required by law. They will be provided with information about the benefits of participation at the beginning of the interview. Respondents will be at minimal or no risk of suffering stress, embarrassment or discomfort from this study. Children under age of 18 years are not competent to give legal consent, thus they are ineligible to participate.

A.11. Sensitive Questions

The goal of the national telephone survey is to identify, in very general terms, the use of and satisfaction with public libraries and museums. Several questions ask respondents to report socio-demographic characteristics. Some respondents may consider this sensitive information, but it is important for the agency to gather these data to determine whether and how these social characteristics are correlated with library and museum use and satisfaction. In addition, if cell phone respondents choose to be paid $5.00 for their phone minutes, they will need to provide their mailing address.

Privacy assurances will be given to all respondents. Data will be secured in accordance with accepted practices.

A.12. Estimated Response Burden

The telephone interview is designed to be completed in no more than 18 to 20 minutes. Depending on the number of questionnaire modules for which the respondent qualifies (i.e. library, museum, child), the survey could be completed in as few as 10 to 12 minutes. Whether the respondent is a dual-user, library only, museum only, or has children under 18 years old in the household will impact interview length as not every respondent will answer the maximum number of questions.

Pre-testing with 25 respondents using the CATI survey instrument will be done after OMB approval. If during the pre-testing the survey takes on average longer than 20 minutes, questions will be dropped.

There will be 3,500 respondents for the full sample of completed interviews, not to include the 25 respondents needed for pre-testing. Of the 3,500 sample respondents, the 525 interviews done with cell phone respondents may take slightly longer on average than the landline interviews because we are collecting mailing address information.

The first two substantive questions in the survey ask whether respondents have been to a library or museum, respectively, in the past month. Respondents who have been to a library, but not a museum, will answer a set of questions specifically about libraries as well as a common set of questions. Respondents who have been to a museum, but not a library, will answer a set of questions specifically about museums as well as a common set of questions. Respondents who have been to both types of institutions (a museum and a library) will be asked to answer both sets of questions. Respondents who have not been to a library or a museum in the last month will be asked a follow-up to determine whether they have gone to either in the past 12 months. Respondents who have not been to a library or a museum in the last 12 months (non-users) will be asked a somewhat different set of questions about museums and public libraries from questions posed to the museum / library users. The museum set of questions and the library set of questions are very similar and are expected to take about the same amount of time.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden is 1,058 (18 minutes times 3,525 respondents equals 63,450 minutes or 1,058 hours).

The plan calls for the survey to be done every three (3) years.

A.13. Estimates of Cost

There are no record keeping or reporting costs to the survey respondents beyond those described in section A12. Respondents will not be asked to do anything beyond the interview. Thus, there is no preparation of data required or expected of respondents. Respondents do not incur: (a) capital and start-up costs, or (b) operation, maintenance, or purchase costs from participating in the study.

Respondents will spend, on average, 18 minutes (0.30 hours) to complete the interview. According to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the per capita income for 2011 was $41,560. Assuming a full-time work schedule (40 hours per week and 52 weeks per year equals 2,080 hours worked per year), the hourly rate for the average respondent is $19.98.

The Estimated Total Annual Cost Burden is $21,130 (1,058 hours total time burden times $19.98 per hour).

A.14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Using the number of 3,525 telephone interviews to calculate annualized cost to the government, total estimated cost to the government for conducting the data collection is as follows:

Estimated number of completed interviews 3,525

Total estimated cost of project $601,306

Cost per completed survey questionnaire $171

This estimate is based on the total cost budgeted for the project in the awarded research contract (which includes all costs for administration, planning, sample design and purchase, questionnaire design, data collection, data analysis, and writing reports) divided by the estimated number of completed interviews.

A.15. Reasons for Changes in Response Burden and Costs

There are no changes from the OMB Form 83-I. This is a new submission.

A.16. Publication Plans and Time Schedule

IMLS plans to publish the data and the results of the survey in a multi-stage approach.

As soon as the data are available for dissemination, the dataset will be put on the IMLS website with accompanying documentation for users. The data documentation will also include a report of the methodology used in the survey, providing information on the sampling frame, the survey participation rate, the weighting procedures, and copies of the questionnaires in both English and Spanish.

Within three months, the results of the study will be released in a publication that will include figures and tables with accompanying text. The analyses will be predominantly descriptive statistics.

IMLS also plans to use the data yielded from this study in other analyses to be released in research briefs.

The planned data collection period is August to October 2013 with reports and summary sheets being published February to April 2014.

A.17. Approval for Not Displaying the Expiration Date for OMB Approval

No exemption from the requirements to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection is being requested for the PNLMS data collection. The OMB approval number and expiration date will be displayed on all survey instruments and discussion guides.

A.18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement

No exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” of OMB Form 83-I apply to the PNLMS.

1 Kim Miller et al. Public Libraries Survey: Fiscal year 2009 (IMLS-2011-PLS-02). Washington, DC: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2011.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Philip M. Katz, “Museums and the American Economy in 2011,” A Report from the American Association of Museums (April 2012).

5 Ibid.

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