Sup14003_2008

Supporting Statement

NA 14003, Researcher Application

(OMB Control No. 3095-0016)

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary. Individuals who wish to use original records at the National Archives, regional archives, and Presidential libraries complete the researcher application form. Upon completion of the form, the researcher is given a researcher identification card, which is valid for one year. The researcher identification card must be shown upon entrance to the facility and research room and when receiving records in the research room. No application is required if a researcher will be using only microfilm copies of holdings in a microfilm research room that is separate from the research room where original records are serviced.

The collection of information is necessary as a security measure to protect the holdings and to facilitate providing effective reference service to the researcher. To enhance security further, the renewal cycle for researcher identification cards was decreased from 3 years to 1 year. Use of the application form is prescribed in 36 CFR 1254.8.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information. The application is used by NARA as a security measure to screen individuals who will have access to original records, to identify which types of records the individual should use, and to allow further contact with the individual if additional records of interest are found or if problems with the records are discovered. Some of the information in the application is entered into a database to serve as a finding aid to the applications file, to compile internal reports concerning researcher use of the records, and to facilitate preparation of mailing lists to send information about NARA programs and events to researchers.

If the information collection were not conducted, the following consequences would result.

Security screening of researchers would take longer each time the researcher visited the facility and reference service to researchers would be less efficient.

3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction. NARA developed the capability to allow individuals in the Washington, DC, area (over half of the respondents) to complete the application electronically. In other facilities, the form is manually processed. There are less than 50,000 researchers per year, and since we have automated registration for the majority of researchers, it is not cost beneficial to further pursue automation under GPEA.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information. The only duplication is that a small percentage of researchers who do research at a regional archives or Presidential library and at the NARA facilities in the DC area will have to complete an additional application. NARA estimates that no more than 0.3 percent of the respondents must complete a second form during a year.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities. The collection of information does not involve small businesses or small entities.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently. The current 1-year cycle allows NARA to keep current address information. Ninety percent of the respondents complete the application on a one‑time basis for a specific research project; therefore the frequency of reporting has little impact on the overall respondent burden.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5. The information collection is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside Agency. The information collection is contained in NARA regulations. Also, a Federal Register Notice was published on June 9, 2008 (73 FR 32604 and 32605), inviting the public to comment. No comments were received.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents. No payment or gift is provided to respondents for this information.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents. The researcher application is contained in a Privacy Act system, NARA‑1. When requested under the Freedom of Information Act, NARA's policy is to deny the release of the information under exemptions (b)(4) and (b)(6).

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions. No questions of a sensitive nature are asked.

12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs. There are 18,487 respondents per year. As noted in response to item 6, more than 90 percent of the respondents complete the form only one time.

The NA Form 14003, Researcher Application, requires about 8 minutes per response. The burden was determined by observing respondents completing the form. The total annual burden hours are 2,465.

13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers. We estimate that the annual cost to respondents is $36,974. The cost to an individual respondent was estimated at 8 minutes based on a salary rate of $15 per hour. Because a number of respondents are performing personal research or are unsalaried students, the estimated respondent cost may be generous.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government. We estimate that the annual cost to the Government for this information collection is $21,600. This cost includes $900 for printing forms and $20,700 for staff time to provide the form to the researcher, review the completed form, issue a researcher identification card, and analyze the statistical information for program evaluation purposes. A GS‑12 archivist provides the form to the respondent and issues the researcher identification card as part of the initial consultation with the researcher to determine what records will be useful for the researcher's topic. A GS‑13 or GS‑14 analyzes the statistics and evaluates the program (DC area).

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments. There is a decrease in the annual burden hours and annual cost to respondents because the number of respondents is slightly lower and there is a decrease in researchers.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule. The information collection is not used for statistical studies or publications.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate. The expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection will be displayed on the forms.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions. There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I, ”Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions.”

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