IMLS SLAA OMB Supporting Statement Part B 2013-08-16

State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey

Data Collection

Supporting Statement for PRA Submission

B	Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

B.1. Universe, Sample Design, and Estimation

The target population for the State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey is the State library administrative agencies. The SLAA is a universe survey of all 51 SLAAs, from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). The chief officer of each SLAA designates a staff person as the “Key Holder,” who will have primary responsibility for completion of the survey, although additional staff may assist in its completion. In many states, the Key Holder is the state data coordinator for the Public Libraries in the United States Survey (PLS).

B.2. Procedures for the Collection of Information

After receiving OMB approval, IMLS and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), the company contracted by IMLS to conduct the SLAA, will begin preparation for the SLAA FY2014 collection. Preparation for and administration of the collection will include a review of the survey instrument; a review of data elements, edit-checks, and post-collection processing; updates to the web application tool for data collection; contacting the chief officers of the SLAAs and the designated Key Holders; opening the web application for respondents during the data collection field period; post-collection editing and imputation of the data file; and release of the data file, data documentation (Data User’s Manual), and report of the findings.

B.2.1. Data Collection

Programming the Web Application

The SLAA data are collected over the Internet via a computer self-administered questionnaire to allow for the collection and analyses of high quality and timely policy-relevant data on the current status of state library agencies that enables an ongoing evaluation of trend comparisons. The SLAA tool is a database-driven Web portal specifically designed to integrate extant data into the data collection tool while incorporating information, user assistance, data validation, and reporting seamlessly into one site. The site was developed in C#.NET programming language, and supported by a SQL server database and is housed on AIR’s computer systems, and with a Web address that incorporates IMLS branding. The online administration was designed to minimize user technology requirements for both hardware and software, and as such, the SLAA web tool can be accessed via personal computers or laptops, using either MacIntosh or Windows operating systems. All that is needed to access the survey tool is Internet access to any commonly used Web browser, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome.

The web application is designed to minimize response burden, to enable timely submissions of high quality data, and to require minimal or no edit follow-up for data problems. A user guide and on-line tutorial is included in the web survey application. A 'Help' function quickly links data items to their definitions. An edit check tool alerts the respondent to questionable data during the data entry process, via on-screen edit-check warnings and an edit check report that can be viewed on-screen or printed. These tools ease the completion of the survey and enable the review and submission of the data in a timely fashion. In addition, the survey is transmitted with prior-year data pre-entered into the system for items that are not expected to change annually—most of Parts A through E and M, or about 65 percent of the survey items. The respondent is instructed to review the pre-entered data and update any information that has changed from the previous year. All other data fields are left blank for the respondent to fill in.

The web-based reporting system is updated and maintained by the contractor. The contractor serves as primary administrator of the data collection. IMLS and the contractor share responsibility for testing the product prior to its official release. The web application’s operation is reviewed on an on-going basis by the contractor. Updates and improvements to the application are made as needed.

Contacting Respondents

The official request for data collection will be e-mailed to the chief officers of SLAAs and stresses the importance of their participation in the survey, as partners in the process. The key holders receive a separate e-mail that recognizes their primary responsibility for completion of the survey and encourages their response. The e-mail to the Key Holders will also contain information for logging into the web application.

Techniques to Enhance Response

As the end of the data collection period approaches, the contractor, currently American Institutes for Research (AIR), contacts non-respondents to encourage their completion of the survey. Members of the IMLS staff also contact the state library agencies, if necessary, to encourage response. IMLS Library Statistics Working Group (LSWG) members are available to serve as mentors and may provide technical assistance to states in reporting their data. The contractor conducts edit follow-up of the data submissions and tries to obtain any data not reported in the original submission in order to maximize accuracy and response rate.

The John Lorenz Award, a certificate signed by the Director of IMLS, is presented to Chief Officers and Key Holders who submitted their data a month before the end of the data collection period.

B.2.2. Statistical Methodology

This is a universe survey and does not require special considerations for statistical methods.

Imputation

In order to make complete SLAA datasets for constructing estimates of totals, it is sometimes necessary to impute for missing data items. After the data have been collected, edited, and cleaned, remaining missing items will be imputed. The data are identified as either imputed or reported on the survey data file through the use of imputation flags and data users are given definitions of what each flag means. Six imputation methodologies are commonly implemented for the SLAA data: Zero Rule, Growth Rule, Sum Rule, Raking Procedure, Sum of Internal-detail Reported, and Regression Modeling.

B.3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and to Deal with Non-Response

B.3.1. Maximizing Response Rates

As the end of the data collection period approaches, the contractor, currently American Institutes for Research (AIR), contacts non-respondents to encourage their completion of the survey. Members of the IMLS staff also contact the state library agencies, if necessary, to encourage response. IMLS Library Statistics Working Group (LSWG) members are available to serve as mentors and may provide technical assistance to states in reporting their data. The contractor conducts edit follow-up of the data submissions and tries to obtain any data not reported in the original submission in order to maximize accuracy and response rate.

The John Lorenz Award, a certificate signed by the Director of IMLS, is presented to Chief Officers and Key Holders who submitted their data a month before the end of the data collection period.

B.3.2. Approaches to Non-response

Historically, issues of non-response have not been a problem with the SLAA. The survey is the result of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) and IMLS. This cooperative effort has let to the 100 percent response rate this survey has historically achieved.

B.4. Steps to Minimize Burden and to Improve Utility

IMLS is committed to collecting high-quality data while minimizing the burden to respondents.

IMLS continually reviews the survey instrument to determine whether data elements need to be changed, added, or deleted. In preparation for the SLAA FY2014 collection, IMLS and AIR will work together, in collaboration with the Library Statistics Working Group (LSWG), to determine whether there should be any changes to the questionnaire, in order to provide data that are relevant to current policies, as well as to maintain the integrity of long-term trends. The LSWG provides guidance in survey design and content, and makes recommendations for improvements to the survey. If it is determined that changes need to be made to the questionnaire, the full, final version of the questionnaire will be submitted to OMB for review before data collection will commence.

The web-based reporting system is updated and maintained by the contractor. The web application will be updated to keep pace with changes in technology that enhance ease-of-use, as well as to make changes based on feedback from respondents in the SLAA FY2012 administration and to accommodate any changes to the survey instrument.

Evaluations of the reliability and validity of the data are conducted periodically. The edit specifications are evaluated as part of every survey cycle.

B.5. Individuals Responsible for Study Design and Performance

The following individuals are responsible for the study design and the collection and analysis of the data on SLAA.

Table B1. Personnel Involved with SLAA

Person	Address	Email / Phone
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Carlos Manjarrez Director, OPRE IMLS	1800 M Street, NW, 9th floor Washington, DC 20036	cmanjarrez@imls.gov 202-653-4671
Deanne W. Swan, Ph.D. Senior Statistician IMLS	1800 M Street, NW, 9th floor Washington, DC 20036	dswan@imls.gov 202-653-4769
Justin Grimes Statistician IMLS	1800 M Street, NW, 9th floor Washington, DC 20036	jgrimes@imls.gov 202-653-4647
Kim Miller Management Analyst IMLS	1800 M Street, NW, 9th floor Washington, DC 20036	kmiller@imls.gov 202-653-4762
Timothy Owens Sr. Library Program Officer IMLS	1800 M Street, NW, 9th floor Washington, DC 20036	towens@imls.gov 202-653-4776
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Lynn Bauer, Ph.D. Sr. Research Analyst` AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	lbauer@air.org
Jennifer Sable Sr. Research Analyst AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	jsable@air.org
Michael P. Cohen, P.D. Principal Sampling Statistician AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	mcohen@air.org
Sandra Eyster, P.D. Managing Director AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	seyster@air.org
Jieling Xu Research Associate AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	jxu@air.org
Rebecca Medway Researcher AIR	1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW Washington, DC 20007	rmedway@air.org
Kristina Wu Sr. Database Specialist AIR	1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563	kwu@air.org

IMLS: SLAA Supporting Statement B | 5