A |
Justification |
A.1.a. Purpose of the Submission
IMLS is requesting a new three year approval of its Museum Assessment Program (MAP) Application and Instructions, OMB #3137-0101. The forms have been updated to reflect the current direction of the program, the new IMLS strategic plan and the relevant federal reporting requirements.
A.1.b. Legislative Authorization
IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.
IMLS is responsible for identifying national needs for and trends in museum, library, and information services. IMLS must also measure and report on the impact and effectiveness of museum, library, and information services throughout the United States, including the impact of programs conducted with funds made available by IMLS. IMLS must identify the best practices of such programs and disseminate the results of its policy research, analysis, and data collection. This data collection is authorized by 20 U.S.C. § 9108 (Policy research, analysis, data collection, and dissemination).
The Museum Assessment Program is a technical assistance program that can help a museum attain excellence in operations and planning through a confidential process of self-study and peer review. MAP is part of the Continuum of Excellence and is administered by the American Alliance of Museums. MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement between the AAM and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
For almost 40 years the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) has helped museums of all types strengthen and align operations, plan for the future, build capacity, and benchmark themselves against standards. This takes place through a confidential, consultative one-year process of self-assessment, institutional activities, and peer review—including a site visit from an expert peer reviewer. MAP is administered by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM/the Alliance) and supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
IMLS is committed to the use of improved information technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its programs and reporting requirements, while reducing the burden on applicants. Applicants can download the forms and instructions on line through the IMLS website. The forms are fillable Word documents and are submitted electronically through email to a central collection point.
All IMLS grant application materials, including reporting forms and other applications, are annually reviewed through an internal clearance, which requires review by several different offices within the agency. These include the program offices, the Office of General Counsel, and the Office of Grant Policy and Management. There is no duplication as each award is only required to complete the forms once.
While IMLS does not make grants to small businesses, some museums, libraries, and related organizations that apply to IMLS are small entities. In developing the forms and instructions, the agency identified the essential forms needed and paid particular attention to consistency and accuracy in the instructions. Efforts were made to use forms that work in multiple programs, rather than being program specific as in the past. There will be no impact on small businesses or other small entities.
Each application completes the full application once to be considered for the program.
No special circumstances require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
Public comments are solicited through Federal Register notices at the 60 day and 30 day periods. No comments were submitted.
There are no payments or gifts to respondents.
The information collected on the MAP applications form is not confidential and this is noted in the instructions.
There are no sensitive questions in the information collection.
The estimated number of respondents is 124, based on the number of applications in any year. The estimated average burden per response is 7 hours, with the estimated total annual Burden to be 868 hours. The Total Annualized capital/startup costs do not apply. The total annual cost is $23,784.
Equipment, software or services: This survey does not require respondents to purchase equipment, software, or services beyond those normally used as part of customary and usual business.
Record keeping or reporting costs: There are no record keeping or reporting costs to the survey respondents.
There are no special costs to the federal government other than the normal operating costs for grant management.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
No exemption from the requirements to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection is being requested. The OMB approval number and expiration date will be displayed at the top of the form.
No exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” apply.
IMLS
– Supporting Statement A |
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-15 |