[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18597-18598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08936]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Institute of Museum and Library Services


Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request, Proposed Collection: 
IMLS Grants to States Program ``State Program Reporting System (SPR) 
Forms

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

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services announces the 
following information collection has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This 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. This notice proposes the 
clearance of the IMLS Grants to States Program ``State Program 
Reporting System (SPR) Forms.
    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: Comments must be submitted to the office listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below on or before May 29, 2018.
    OMB is particularly interested in comments that help the agency to:

     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: Comments should be sent to Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attn.: OMB Desk Officer for Education, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395-
7316.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Sandra Webb, Director of Grant 
Policy and Management, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 955 
L'Enfant Plaza North SW, Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20024-2135. Dr. 
Webb can be reached by Telephone: 202-653-4718 Fax: 202-653-4608, or by 
email at [email protected], or by teletype (TTY/TDD) for persons with 
hearing difficulty at 202-653-4614.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Institute of Museum and Library Services 
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.
    Current Actions: This notice proposes the clearance of the IMLS 
Grants to States Program ``State Program Reporting System (SPR) Forms 
and Instructions. The 60-day Notice for the ``Notice of Proposed 
Information Collection Requests: 2019-2021 IMLS Grants to States 
Program ``State Program Reporting System (SPR) Forms were published in 
the Federal Register on February 28, 2018 (83 FR 8711). The agency has 
taken into consideration the one comment that was received under this 
notice.
    This action is to renew the forms and instructions for the IMLS 
Grants to

[[Page 18598]]

States Program ``State Program Reporting System'' for the next three 
years. These forms include:

     SPR Reporting System User Documentation
     Grants to States Program Report
     Financial Status Report
     SPR Phase 3 Reporting
     State Legal Officer's Certification of the Authorized 
Certifying Official
     internet Safety Certification for Applicant Public 
Libraries, Public Elementary and Secondary School Libraries, and 
Consortia with Public and/or Public School Libraries

    The Grants to States program is the largest source of Federal 
funding support for library services in the U.S. Using a population 
based formula, more than $150 million is distributed among the State 
Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) every year. SLAAs are official 
agencies charged by law with the extension and development of library 
services, and they are located in:

     Each of the 50 States of the United States, and the 
District of Columbia;
     The Territories (the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands); and
     The Freely Associated States (the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the 
Republic of Palau).

    Each year, over 1,500 Grants to States projects support the 
purposes and priorities outlined in the Library Services and Technology 
Act (LSTA). (See 20 U.S.C. 9121 et seq.) SLAAs may use the funds to 
support statewide initiatives and services, and they may also 
distribute the funds through competitive subawards (subgrants or 
cooperative agreements) to public, academic, research, school, or 
special libraries or library consortia (for-profit and Federal 
libraries are not eligible). Each SLAA must submit a plan that details 
library services goals for a five-year period. (20 U.S.C 9134). SLAAs 
must also conduct a five-year evaluation of library services based on 
that plan. These plans and evaluations are the foundation for improving 
practice and informing policy. Each SLAA receives IMLS funding to 
support the five year period through a series of overlapping, two year 
grant awards.
    Each SLAA must file interim and final financial reports, as well as 
final performance reports for each of these two year grants. Since 
2002, the final performance reporting has been accomplished through 
IMLS' State Program Reporting (SPR) system. To improve how IMLS 
measures the impact of the Federal investment in the Grants to States 
program, IMLS and SLAAs have been partnering on a comprehensive 
planning and evaluation initiative called ``Measuring Success.'' This 
multi-year effort has fundamentally shifted the way in which Grants to 
States final report information is gathered and shared, and it is 
improving program accountability, reporting, evaluation, and 
assessment. The SPR has been developed in phases, in concert with a 
small group of SLAAs acting as pilots for each phase. Roughly, these 
phases corresponded to: Framework and question development; descriptive 
reporting for the two year award; and finally the incorporation of the 
performance measurement reporting. Currently, all phases have been 
rolled out and are reflected in the documentation submitted for the 
three year approval. The Measuring Success initiative has driven the 
development of the data reporting and analysis system (database) that 
replaces the older narrative State Program Report system.
    The SPR development was guided by a data reporting and collection 
framework that balances the need for descriptive information to monitor 
compliance with award conditions with the need for data on performance 
measures to assess the impact of the public funds. By gathering project 
data more consistently, IMLS is better able to compare projects within 
and across states and demonstrate the impact of public funds on library 
services. States are also able to share information about their 
projects both within the library community and with the public at 
large.

    Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services.
    Title: IMLS Grants to States Program ``State Program Reporting 
System (SPR) Forms.
    OMB Number: 3137-0071.
    Frequency: Once per year.
    Affected Public: State Library Administrative Agencies.
    Number of Respondents: 56.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 47.83 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,678 hours.
    Total Annualized capital/startup costs: n/a.
    Total Annual costs: $74,113.

    Dated: April 24, 2018.
Kim Miller,
Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Policy and Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-08936 Filed 4-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7036-01-P