2009ss0012

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Application for Attendance at the Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents

OMB Control No. 3095-0012

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the University of Wisconsin jointly sponsor an annual one-week Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents. Information is collected from applicants in order to establish their qualifications and to enable ranking and selection by a point system. The maximum number of 5 points is awarded to applicants who are currently employed by NHPRC-supported or -endorsed editing projects, or by projects that have a reliable source of ongoing funding; and to applicants employed by historical agencies whose responsibilities include editing historical documents. Since its inception in 1972, the institute has provided specialized training in document selection, transcription, annotation, and other activities involved in documentary editing. Successful applicants pay their own transportation and food costs. Lodging is provided at no charge.

A copy of 44 U.S.C. Chapter 25 and amendments, which authorize the Commission's grant program, is attached.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information. The NHPRC staff uses the information to establish the applicants' qualifications and to permit selection of those best qualified to attend the institute. Persons interested in attending the institute as an educational experience submit the information. The applications of those who are selected to attend are forwarded to a program assistant who uses them in making administrative arrangements, and circulated among the institute’s resident advisors, who use them to determine what areas of instruction will be most useful to the applicants. Because only a limited number can be accommodated, selection is competitive. Without this information, there would be no rational way of operating the program.

3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction. We have made the guidelines and application form for the editing institute available on our web site at www.archives.gov/nhprc. Applicants can email the form to us as a PDF file. We have attempted to impose a minimum burden on the applicants. The average number of respondents for this information collection is 25.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information. The desired information relates to specific qualifications of the individual applicants and is not available from any other source.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities. The collection of this information has no impact on small businesses or other small entities.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently. The Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents is conducted annually. Consequently, it is necessary to collect relevant information from a new applicant pool each year. Without this information, there would be no objective basis for selecting those applicants who are to attend the institute.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5. The collection of information will be 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. A notice was published in the Federal Register on November 20, 2008 (73 FR 70383 and 70384, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. No comments were received. The application form is periodically revised in consultation with the project director (a member of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin) to improve clarity and to gather additional information.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents. No payments or gifts are provided to respondents.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents. Confidentiality is not assured to applicants. Applications are covered by a Privacy Act system of records (NARA 21) and information is released only in accordance with the routine disclosures in that system. Officers of the NHPRC and the University of Wisconsin view the application forms in order to evaluate the applicants. A program assistant views the application forms for purposes of administrative arrangements. The resident advisers at the institute view the application forms so that the advisers will be better prepared to counsel the interns.

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

12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs. The number of respondents is approximately 25 per year. The frequency of response is usually one-time. The estimated burden is 1.5 hours/application for a total of 37.5 burden hours. This estimate of the burden is based on consultation with recent respondents. Applicants must provide basic information about their education, profession, publications, and editing experience. They also complete a narrative explaining what they hope to achieve by attending the institute and describing the documents they plan to use for their editing projects at the institute.

The estimated average annual cost per respondent is $34. This figure assumes an average of 1.5 hours for each respondent to complete the application. This cost estimate presumes that 17% of applicants are full-time graduate students whose time is valued at $16 per hour ($16 x 1.5 = $24 per application); that 58% of applicants are junior professionals whose time is valued at $21 per hour ($21 x 1.5 = $31.50), and that the remaining 25% are full time professionals whose time is valued at $31 per hour ($31 x 1.5 = $46.50 per application).

13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers. There is no annual cost to respondents apart from that enumerated in Item 12.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government. The estimated cost to the Federal government includes $210 for the time of a GS-13 Commission staff member for review and processing ($42 per hour x .20 hours/application x 25 = $210), plus $23 for 1 hour of clerical support time, for a total of $233.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments. Changes are due to normal salary increases.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule. There are no plans to publish the results of this collection of information.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate. The expiration date will be displayed on the application form.

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

3