Pre-Conf Planning Survey IMLS_SDC_Mtg_Fast-track_2019

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3137-0081)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: SDC Annual Meeting Planning

PURPOSE:

The State Data Coordinators (SDCs) are one of IMLS’ key customers, playing a central role in reporting data about libraries in their states/territories, including to the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) and, in most cases, the State Library Administrative Agency (SLAA) survey. An annual SDC meeting is held to (1) Train the new SDCs in completing these surveys and working with IMLS; (2) Provide a forum within which data collection and reporting issues associated with the PLS, including potential changes, are discussed; and (3) Enable SDCs to share best practices with each other. Unlike many other Federal surveys, the IMLS library data community approach has resulted in a survey that has maintained a response rate in excess of 90% since its inception in 1988.

For the first time in many years, IMLS conducted an OMB-approved conference evaluation for the New SDC Orientation and the main SDC meeting, both held in December 2018. In this pre-meeting planning information request, IMLS seeks to use information learned via the CY 2018 evaluations (each with 100% response among attendees) to plan content that will be most responsive to the perceived training needs of the SDC meeting attendees. The information IMLS learns from the pre-conference planning form will allow IMLS to more effectively involve the SDCs in interactive conference sessions with peer-led exercises facilitated by IMLS and to establish a set of priority topics for such exercises.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

SDCs are individuals who have responsibility for data collection and reporting in their jurisdictions, with specific responsibility for the PLS. All SDCs who have registered for the annual meeting, scheduled for 10-12 December 2019, will be sent a link to a Microsoft fillable form (see copy in WORD layout in Appendix). Based on previous pre-conference information requests and current patterns of SDC listserv participation, IMLS expects that at least 40 of the 55 SDC conference registrants will complete the full form in advance of the training meeting.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Pre-conference planning survey

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Lisa M. Frehill

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No Not Applicable

For meeting planning purposes, materials and responsibilities for peer-led engagements necessitate that we collect the names of such volunteers. Based on the information provided in the pre-conference planning survey, a revised and detailed agenda will be provided to participants for their review to ensure that appropriate information is included in the agenda.

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
SDCs	40	5 min/resp.	3.33 hr

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $500_________

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

All current SDC conference registrants will be asked to complete the survey. SDCs represent the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the outlying territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Approximately 55 of these individuals have registered for the meeting to be held 10-12 December 2019. A link to the form will be shared via email to the registrants with a deadline for completion in the instructions. In addition to a form link, the e-mailed instructions will emphasize:

• That completion is voluntary;

• That there are no expected negative issues associated with participating;

• That IMLS will use the results of the survey to implement a training meeting that has a high likelihood of addressing the needs that have been expressed by SDCs who plan to attend the meeting and consistent with feedback from the 2018 meeting;

• That the participants may remain anonymous but that for planning purposes, they should provide their names and other information about content that they wish to share with their peer SDCs; and

• That IMLS needs their responses by Monday 25 November 2019 to effectively incorporate suggestions into the training meeting.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Appendix attached: “Planning the 2019 SDC Meeting” (WORD version of the fillable form to which SDC meeting registrants will be sent).

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