A. Justification: Peer Reviewer Nomination Forms, OMB Control Number 3137-0099
Necessity of the Information Collection
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) requests a new clearance for the Peer Review Nomination Forms for its identification of subject matter experts under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The current clearance expires in July 2018. The information collections in this package include instructions necessary to apply for engagement with IMLS as part of the agency’s grant review and technical assistance programs.
Background:
All proposals submitted for IMLS competitive awards are reviewed by library and museum professionals who know the needs of communities, can share promising practices, and are well versed in the issues and concerns of museums and libraries today. Peer reviewers dedicate their time and expertise to advance the highest professional practices in the field. The IMLS review process is well respected, and the success of our grant programs is largely due to the expertise of our reviewers. These Peer Reviewer Nomination forms, accessed through the IMLS website, allow library and museum professionals to indicate their interest and expertise to be considered for selection as an IMLS peer reviewer. There are two forms, one for library professionals and one for museum professionals.
Purposes and Uses of the Data
The information collected by IMLS is used by the agency to carry out its grant and technical assistance programs. The information is used by IMLS staff to validate applicant eligibility, identify and assign peer reviewers, manage grant competitions, award discretionary and formula-based grants, and administer and monitor its grants. It is also used by the agency for strategic planning, performance analysis, and to provide information to the Administration and to Congress. Data elements subject to FOIA also provide information about IMLS’s grant applications and programs to individuals outside the agency, and may be used by applicants to validate their project ideas or application strategies, to follow trends in their fields, and to identify effective practice that can be widely adapted to improve the quality of museum and library services in the United States. IMLS intends to make final grant reports available via its website and so informs grantees.
Use of Information Technology
IMLS is committed to the use of improved information technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its programs, while reducing burden on potential applicants. Applicants can download the Peer Reviewer Nomination Forms online. Detailed information will be available at https://www.imls.gov/.
Efforts to Identify Duplication
All IMLS externally facing documents are annually reviewed through an internal clearance process, which requires review by several different offices within the agency, including the program offices, the Office of General Counsel, and the Grants policy and Management Office. This annual review process protects against duplication. Beginning in FY2013, IMLS complied with the Plain Writing Act of 2010 to provide “clear government communication that the public can understand and use.” We at the Institute of Museum and Library Services are committed to writing new documents in plain language, using the Federal Plain Language Guidelines.
Method Used to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses
Participation is entirely voluntary. No small businesses are impacted, but some applicants for IMLS funding or peer reviewers are from small non-profit organizations. Every effort has been made to streamline processes and instructions and to simplify the application and reporting processes. The agency’s internal clearance process ensures that no undue burden is placed on any applicant for IMLS funding.
Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection
These collections of information are essential to IMLS in meeting its statutory mission to award Federal financial assistance under the Museum and Library Act (20 U.S.C. Section 9101 et seq.), and its obligation to identify needs and trends in museum, library and information services.
Special Circumstances
None of the listed conditions applies.
Consultations Outside the Agency
The 60-day notice for the 2019-2021 IMLS Peer Reviewer Nomination Forms (3137-0099) was published in the Federal Register 83 FR 8507. A 30-day notice requesting comment for the generic clearances was published in the Federal Register 83 FR 15642.
IMLS uses several different mechanisms to consult with persons outside the agency. Contact information for program officers is widely distributed and easily accessible from the IMLS website, and grantees and potential applicants are encouraged to communicate frequently with these experts. In addition, program officers convene nationwide conference calls to answer questions and take input. IMLS program staff also travel to national, regional, and local meetings of potential applicants to discuss program requirements. Finally, agency staff consults informally with its communities throughout the year, including regular meetings with the Chiefs of State Library Administrative Agencies, semiannual information meetings hosted for representatives of key professional associations, and IMLS convenings for other purposes.
During the grant application review process, outside experts are asked to review applications and discuss the agency’s forms, instructions, and process. These experts are consulted by IMLS staff regarding the clarity and value of the Notices of Funding Opportunities and informally comment on the burden of response required by applicants. It is this group of experts that these forms are designed to solicit.
IMLS notes and evaluates all suggestions from applicants, for revising Notices of Funding Opportunities and reporting forms, responding to the invitation for comments found in the burden statement contained in each information collection. Efforts are continually made to shorten and simplify application instructions and forms in response to suggestions made by respondents.
Payments or Gifts to Respondents
No payments or gifts are provided to any of the respondents.
Assurance of Confidentiality
No
assurance of confidentiality is provided.
Grant files are subject to FOIA request and are handled on a
case-by-case basis. IMLS intends to make final grant reports
available via its website and so informs grantees.
Justification for Sensitive Questions
There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
Estimate of Hour Burden to Respondents
The estimated number of respondents is 1770. This number was estimated based on an assessment of the number of applicants for the peer review process in previous years, with the various forms. The number of annual burden hours is estimated to be 850, based on estimates of the average number of 30 minutes that an applicant will need to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the components of the forms.
Estimate of Cost Burden to Respondents
The estimated cost to applicants is $23,749. The average cost per hour is based on $27.94, the Bureau of Labor Statistics average mean hourly wage of library or museum staff. The estimated burden hour cost per application is 30 minutes for the Peer Reviewer Nomination Form.
The two cost components for total capital/start-up and operation/maintenance/purchase of services are not applicable.
Estimate of Costs to Federal Government
There are no costs to the federal government.
Explanation of Change in Burden
There is no change in burden.
Statistical Usage
Not applicable.
Request to Not Display Expiration Date
Not applicable. The expiration date will be displayed.
Exception to Certification Statement
Not applicable.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Generic Clearance Request 97 [doc] |
| Author | sdaisey |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-05-04 |