[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3176-3177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00639]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

[20XD4523WS. DS62400000. DWSN00000.000000. DP62402; OMB Control Number 
1084-0034]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Documenting, Managing 
and Preserving Department of the Interior Museum Collections Housed in 
Non-Federal Repositories

AGENCY: Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of the Interior are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
March 15, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to Emily Palus, Office of Acquisition and Property 
Management, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, MS 4262-
MIB, Washington, DC 20240; or by email to [email protected]. 
Please reference OMB Control Number 1084-0034 in the subject line of 
your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Emily Palus by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 202-513-7563.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under the 
PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond 
to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.
    We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency 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 response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number,

[[Page 3177]]

email address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages an estimated 
73 million museum objects and over 86 million linear feet of archives 
in trust for the American public. This diverse collection consists of 
archaeological artifacts, archives, biological specimens, ethnographic 
objects, fine arts, geological specimens, historic objects, and 
paleontological specimens that are owned and managed by the 
Department's bureaus and offices (bureaus). This information collection 
request is directed to non-Federal repositories that house DOI museum 
collections. The information that DOI obtains, on a voluntary basis, 
concerns DOI museum collections held in non-Federal repositories. 
Receipt of this information supports the Department's management of its 
museum collections for public benefit, including preservation, 
protection, access, and use, as well as where applicable, compliance 
with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 
(NAGPRA).
    The information that DOI seeks consists of the following:
    A. Accession Records and associated files regarding acquisition;
    B. Catalog Records and associated files describing the objects and 
their use;
    C. Facility Checklist for Spaces Housing DOI Museum Property 
(Checklist), which addresses the environmental, security and other 
management controls in place to document and safeguard the collections;
    D. Inventory of Museum Collections (Inventory) documenting presence 
and condition of objects and records; and
    E. Input on Collections from Lands Administered by the U.S. 
Department of the Interior that are Located in Non-Federal Facilities 
(Input Form) to query a limited range information about the repository; 
the scope and types of DOI collections in repositories, with which 
bureaus and offices those collections are associated and the nature of 
any agreements; the status of documentation and NAGPRA compliance, and 
availability for research and use.
    Although the majority of DOI's documented collections are housed in 
bureau facilities across the nation, at least ten percent (an estimated 
more than 25 million objects) are located in approximately 970 non-
Federal repositories, primarily state, tribal, and local museums and 
university departments. Most of the DOI museum artifacts, specimens, 
and archives housed in non-Federal repositories resulted from projects 
on Federal lands, and include collections from the disciplines of 
archaeology, biology, geology, and paleontology, as well as associated 
project documentation.
    DOI museum objects cared for in non-Federal repositories are those 
artifacts, specimens, and archives that are established as Federal 
property under Federal law. Common law also confers rights to 
landowners, including the Federal government, such as ownership of 
property, resources, and other tangible assets existing on or 
originating from those lands, unless those rights were previously 
relinquished, sold, awarded, or otherwise reassigned. Also, permits and 
other agreements for the collection of artifacts and specimens from 
public lands managed at the time by the Department may further affirm 
Federal ownership. In order to maintain accountability of and 
facilitate access to DOI museum objects, the objects must be documented 
in the Interior Collection Management System (ICMS), its successor, the 
Museum Collection Management System (MCMS) or in another collection 
management database from which the necessary data can be imported into 
ICMS or MCMS.
    Federal regulations and DOI policy requires that all permitees 
conducting authorized scientific research and authorized individuals 
performing compliance activities on DOI-managed lands must ensure that 
any retained museum specimens or objects collected during a project 
are: (1) Accessioned and cataloged in ICMS/MCMS, according to DOI 
standards; and (2) housed in an appropriate museum repository that 
meets DOI museum standards. These requirements ensure the collections' 
long-term preservation, protection, and accessibility for access and 
use.
    Title of Collection: Documenting, Managing and Preserving 
Department of the Interior Museum Collections Housed in Non-Federal 
Repositories.
    OMB Control Number: 1084-0034.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Museums; academic, cultural, and 
research institutions; and, state or local agencies and institutions.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 900.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 900.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 hour to 12 
hours, depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 3,600 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Maximum of once per year per collection 
instrument, and likely less frequently.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Megan Olsen,
Director, Office of Acquisition and Property Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-00639 Filed 1-13-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4334-63-P