FY22- Supporting Statement A

Supporting Statement A. Justification: IMLS Museum Assessment Program Application Forms

OMB Control Number 3137-0101

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) requests approval to collect information as part of its Museum Assessment Program (MAP) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. MAP is a technical assistance program that offers museums an opportunity to strengthen operations and plan for the future through a process of self-assessment, institutional activities, and consultative peer review. Program participants choose from among five assessments: Organizational, Collections Stewardship, Community and Audience Engagement, Board Leadership, and Education and Interpretation. The participant museum completes a self-study workbook; a peer reviewer visits the museum; the peer reviewer, staff, and leadership engage in pre-arranged activities; and the peer reviewer provides a written report with prioritized recommendations reflecting the assessment type chosen. The participant museum may request a follow-up visit after the original visit has been completed.

The purpose of this information collection is to support the administration and implementation of MAP. The eight forms submitted for public review in this Notice are:

1. MAP Application Form to collect information from museums that wish to be considered for enrollment in the program and to assist in participant selection and notification;

2. MAP Signatures Page to document commitment to MAP by museum leadership;

3. MAP Follow-Up Visit Request Form to collect information from museums that wish to request a Follow-Up Visit from the peer reviewer and to assist with scheduling;

4. MAP Survey 1 (End-of-Program Survey for Museums) to collect feedback from the museum at the end of the program about the experience and value of participation for the purpose of enhancing understanding where and how the program can be improved;

5. MAP Survey 2 (One-Year-Later Survey for Museums) to collect feedback from the museum one year after the end of the program about the longer-term experience and value of participation for the purpose of enhancing understanding where and how the program can be improved;

6. MAP Survey 3 (MAP Follow-Up Visit Survey for Museums) to collect feedback from museums that choose to have a Follow-Up Visit about the experience and value of doing so;

7. MAP Survey 4 (Post-Assessment Survey for Peer Reviewers) to collect feedback from peer reviewers who have conducted a MAP site visit for the purpose of enhancing understanding where and how the program can be improved; and

8. MAP Survey 5 (MAP Follow-Up Visit Survey for Peer Reviewers) to collect feedback from peer reviewers about the Follow-Up Visit in particular for the purpose of enhancing understanding where and how the program can be improved.

This action is to request approval for using the forms for the next three years.

Legislative Authorization: IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. It advances, supports, and empowers America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development. MAP is designed to support efforts to strengthen museum operations and assist in planning for the future (20 U.S.C. § 9101 et seq.; in particular, § 9162 (National leadership grants) and § 9173 (Museum services activities)).

2. Purposes and Uses of the Data

The information collected through these forms will be used by the agency and the cooperator to identify alignments with agency-level goals and objectives, validate participant eligibility, prepare peer reviewers for their site visits, analyze the degree to which the program is meeting the needs and expectations of participants and peer reviewers, and gather feedback on perceptions of the benefits that accrue to program participants. It will also be used by the agency for strategic planning, performance analysis, and to provide information to the Administration and to Congress.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology

IMLS is committed to the use of information technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations and programs, while reducing burden on potential MAP participants, peer reviewers, and IMLS as well as cooperator staff. These documents will be formatted as web-based forms that can be completed online via broadly accessible software (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Jotform). Completing these forms electronically allows for faster responses, thereby reducing respondent burden.

4. 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 Grants Policy and Management, and the Office of General Counsel. This annual review process protects against duplication. MAP is a unique offering for small- to medium-sized museums, and the information collected is specific to the participation of such institutions. There is no other program with the same goals, objectives, or approach, and thus we are confident that this information collection is not duplicated.

5. Methods Used to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses

Participation is entirely voluntary. No small businesses are impacted, but most potential participants in this program 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.

6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection

This collection of information is essential to IMLS in meeting its statutory mission to award federal financial assistance under the Museum and Library Act (20 U.S.C. § 9101 et seq.). Each application cycle of MAP engages new participating museums, therefore requiring the use of two forms for each participant. Participants also complete two customer feedback surveys relating to the MAP process, experience, and perceived value. Participants may opt for a follow-up visit, which requires the use of two additional forms, one to request it and one to provide feedback on the experience. Peer reviewers complete one form to provide feedback on their experience, and those who undertake a follow-up visit complete an additional form.

MAP could not function effectively without the application forms as the basis for selecting eligible participants and preparing both participants and peer reviewers for site visits. The feedback forms are necessary to gather information that is used to improve program services each year.

7. Special Circumstances of Data Collection

No special circumstances require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 C.F.R. § 1320.6.

8. Consultation and Feedback from Outside the Agency

Each of these forms has been reviewed by a steering committee of subject matter experts to ensure that the information requested is both clearly defined and necessary to support the program. The 60-day notice for the Museum Assessment Program Application Forms (3137-0101) was published on November 30, 2021 in the Federal Register (86 FR 67979-67980). No comments were received. A 30-day notice requesting comment for the OMB clearance was published in the Federal Register on January 27, 2022 (87 FR 4292-4293).

9. Payments or Gifts to Respondents

No payments or gifts are provided to any respondent.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

No assurance of confidentiality is provided. Files are subject to FOIA requests and are handled on a case-by-case basis.

11. Sensitive Questions

There are no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Estimate of Hour Burden to Respondents

The estimated total number of respondents for the eight forms is 650 per year. Each form will be completed once. Based on estimates of between fifteen minutes and 12 hours required per form to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the components of each form, the total estimate of burden hours is 1,537.00.

Preparing/Submitting MAP Forms	Number of Respondents	Time per response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
MAP Application - Museums	100	12.00	1,200.00
MAP Signatures Page	100	0.50	50.00
MAP Application Follow-Up Visit Request Form	50	0.33	16.50
MAP Survey 1: End-of-Program Survey for Museums	100	1.00	100.00
MAP Survey 2: One-Year-Later Survey for Museums	100	1.00	100.00
MAP Survey 3: Follow-Up Visit Survey for Museums	50	0.50	25.00
MAP Survey 4: Post-Assessment Survey for Peer Reviewers	100	0.33	33.00
MAP Survey 5: Follow-Up Visit Survey for Peer Reviewers	50	0.25	12.50
TOTALS	650	15.91	1,537.00

13. Estimate of Cost Burden to Respondents

The total estimated cost to potential participants and peer reviewers is $45,556.68 for all eight forms. The average cost per hour is based on $29.64, the Bureau of Labor Statistics average mean hourly range for a museum curator.

The two cost components for total capital/start-up and operation/maintenance/purchase of services are not applicable.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost to the Federal Government is $3,820.50 for the eight forms. This is based on 141.50 hours required to process 650 forms and using an average salary figure for cooperator staff of $27.00 per hour.

15. Reasons for Changes in Response Burden and Costs

This request identifies a respondent pool of 650, a response burden of 1,537.00 hours, and a cost of $45,556.68. This represents a decrease of 134 respondents, an increase of 409.00 hours, and a decrease in cost of $4,957.32 from the 2019 clearance request. In 2019, we were preparing to launch the customer feedback surveys for the first time, and our estimates of burden were only best guesses. The numbers used in this request are based on three years of program implementation and improved accuracy in the estimate of the time required to complete the forms. The cost burden reflects an increase in the mean hourly wage for museum curators from $27.38 to $29.64.

16. Statistical Usage

Not applicable.

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 MAP forms. The OMB approval number and expiration date will be displayed on each of these forms.

18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.