[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78642-78643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26894]


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THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Institute of Museum and Library Services


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Request: Community 
Catalyst: The Role of Libraries and Museums in Community Transformation 
(Community Catalyst)--A National Leadership Grants Special Initiative

AGENCY: Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Foundation 
for the Arts and the Humanities.

ACTION: Notice, request for comments, collection of information.

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SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Service (``IMLS'') as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, 
conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general 
public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed 
and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This pre-clearance 
consultation program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The purpose of this Notice is to solicit comments 
concerning The Role of Libraries and Museums in Community 
Transformation (Community Catalyst)--A National Leadership Grants 
Special Initiative.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before January 5, 2017.
    The IMLS is particularly interested in comments which:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.

ADDRESSES: For a copy of the documents contact: Dr. Marvin Carr, Senior 
Advisor, STEM and Community Engagement, Institute of Museum and Library 
Services, 955 L'Enfant Plaza North SW., Suite 4000, Washington, DC 
20024. Dr. Carr can be reached by telephone: 202-653-4752; fax: 202-
653-4603; email: [email protected] or by teletype (TTY/TDD) for persons 
with hearing difficulty at 202-653-4614.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source 
of federal support for the Nation's 123,000 libraries and 35,000 
museums. The Institute's mission is to inspire libraries and museums to 
advance innovation, learning and civic engagement. We provide 
leadership through research, policy development, and grant making. IMLS 
provides a variety of grant programs to assist the Nation's museums and 
libraries in improving their operations and enhancing their services to 
the public. (20 U.S.C. 9101 et seq.).

[[Page 78643]]

II. Current Actions

    To administer The Role of Libraries and Museums in Community 
Transformation (Community Catalyst)--A National Leadership Grants 
Special Initiative. National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-
Libraries) and National Leadership Grants for Museums (NLG-Museums), 
under which this special initiative falls, support projects that 
address challenges faced by the library and museum fields and that have 
the potential to advance practice in those fields. Successful projects 
will generate results such as new tools, research findings, models, 
services, practices, or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, 
scaled, or replicated to extend the benefits of federal investment. 
This special joint NLG-Libraries and NLG-Museums initiative invites 
proposals for development and testing of approaches to deepen and 
sustain the collaborative work that libraries and museums engage in 
with their communities. Funded projects will create a foundation for 
enhanced collective impact in communities, especially working with 
those from diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds and will 
involve key partners such as community service organizations, 
government entities, and/or funders.
    This funding opportunity may include grants and/or cooperative 
agreements. We will seek proposals that use approaches grounded in 
community innovation labs; such processes help to build understanding 
and develop options when complex social problems affect many 
stakeholders. They are effective where no one entity is accountable for 
solving the problem, no one solution is sufficient for solving the 
problem, and current solutions are insufficient. Labs draw on diverse 
perspectives about a problem to make sense of an issue and focus on 
rapid experimentation to surface and adapt solutions to problems. By 
bringing together stakeholders with a collective blend of knowledge and 
experience with various aspects of local place and social wellbeing, 
these individuals and organizations can co-create, and test solutions 
together in ways that they could not have done on their own. 
Participants will seek to help their local community collaborate across 
sectors, question old assumptions, develop deep understandings of local 
system dynamics, explore solutions that leverage existing community 
assets and yield innovative responses, and rehearse potential 
strategies for change that include drawing upon museums and libraries.
    This process will help to advance our understanding of what is 
currently occurring in a community and where there are different 
leverage points to effect change. The desired goal is to help catalyze 
civic revitalization with the active involvement of key community 
assets, museums and libraries.
    Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services.
    Title: The Role of Libraries and Museums in Community 
Transformation (Community Catalyst)--A National Leadership Grants 
Special Initiative.
    OMB Number: TBD.
    Agency Number: 3137.
    Frequency: One time.
    Affected Public: Libraries, agencies, institutions of higher 
education, museums, and other entities that advance the museum and 
library fields and that meet the eligibility criteria.
    Number of Respondents: 15.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 40 hours.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,480.
    Total Annualized Cost to Respondents: $43,805.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: 0.
    Total Annualized Cost to Federal Government: $7,608.
    Public Comments Invited: Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB's 
clearance of this information collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Burwell, Chief Information 
Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Institute of Museum 
and Library Services, 955 L'Enfant Plaza North SW., Suite 4000, 
Washington, DC 20024-2135. Mrs. Burwell can be reached by Telephone: 
202-653-4684, Fax: 202-653-4625, or by email at [email protected] or by 
teletype (TTY/TDD) at 202-653-4614. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 
5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Dated: November 2, 2016.
Kim A. Miller,
Grants Management Specialist, Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-26894 Filed 11-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7036-01-P