[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 230 (Friday, December 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68686-68687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26255]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Institute of Museum and Library Services


Information Collection: Improving Customer Experience (OMB 
Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has under 
OMB review the following proposed Information Collection Request 
``Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 
Implementation)'' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
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 a generic clearance to gather customer 
and stakeholder feedback via customer interviews, feedback surveys, and 
rapid feedback user testing of website experiences in order to improve 
customer experience with IMLS services of various kinds. For more 
information on the types of proposed information collection requests 
IMLS may make under this clearance, contact the individual listed below 
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

DATES: Submit comments on or before January 2, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection 3137-
NEW, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 
Implementation) to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection request by selecting ``Institute of 
Museum and Library Services'' under ``Currently Under Review;'' then 
check ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Once you have 
found this information collection request, select ``Comment,'' and 
enter or upload your comment and information. Alternatively, please 
mail your written comments to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attn.: OMB Desk Officer for Education, Office of Management 
and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, or call (202) 395-7316.

[[Page 68687]]

    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 3137-NEW, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, 
Section 280 Implementation) in all correspondence related to this 
collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Amira Boland, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20006, by phone at 202-881-9453, or via 
email to [email protected].

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. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.
    Title: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 
280 Implementation).
    Abstract: A modern, streamlined and responsive customer experience 
means: Raising government-wide customer experience to the average of 
the private sector service industry; developing indicators for high-
impact Federal programs to monitor progress towards excellent customer 
experience and mature digital services; and providing the structure 
(including increasing transparency) and resources to ensure customer 
experience is a focal point for agency leadership.
    This proposed information collection activity provides a means to 
garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner 
to improve customer service delivery as discussed in Section 280 of OMB 
Circular A-11 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/s280.pdf.
    As discussed in OMB guidance, agencies should identify their 
highest-impact customer journeys (using customer volume, annual program 
cost, and/or knowledge of customer priority as weighting factors) and 
select touchpoints/transactions within those journeys to collect 
feedback.
    These results will be used to improve the delivery of Federal 
services and programs. It will also provide government-wide data on 
customer experience that can be displayed on www.performance.gov to 
help build transparency and accountability of Federal programs to the 
customers they serve.
    As a general matter, these information collections will not result 
in any new system of records containing privacy information and will 
not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and 
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly 
considered private.
    IMLS will only submit collections if they meet the following 
criteria:
     The collections are voluntary;
     The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) 
and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
     The collections are non-controversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered is intended to be used for general 
service improvement and program management purposes;
     Upon agreement between OMB and the agency all or a subset 
of information may be released as part of A-11, Section 280 
requirements only on performance.gov. Summaries of customer research 
and user testing activities may be included in public-facing customer 
journey maps or summaries.
     Additional release of data must be done coordinated with 
OMB.
    These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between the Agency, its customers and 
stakeholders, and OMB as it monitors agency compliance on Section 280. 
These responses will inform efforts to improve or maintain the quality 
of service offered to the public. If this information is not collected, 
vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on services will be 
unavailable.
    Current Action: New Collection of Information.
    Type of Review: New.
    Affected Public: Museums, Libraries, Institutions of Higher 
Education, Non-profits, State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Below is a preliminary estimate of 
the aggregate burden hours for this new collection. IMLS will provide 
refined estimates of burden in subsequent notices.
    Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: Three types of 
customer experience activities: Interviews, feedback surveys, and user 
testing.
    Average Number of Respondents per Activity: 1 response per 
respondent per activity.
    Annual Responses: 2,740.
    Average Minutes per Response: Varied, dependent upon the data 
collection method used. The possible response time to complete a 
questionnaire or survey may be 3 minutes or up to 30 minutes to 
participate in an interview.
    Burden Hours: IMLS requests approximately 454 burden hours.
    Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. 
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of 
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of 
operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide 
information.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide 
information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed 
to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize 
technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able 
to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to 
complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    All written comments will be available for public inspection.
    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 Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: November 29, 2021.
Suzanne Mbollo,
Grants Management Specialist, Institute of Museum and Library Services.
[FR Doc. 2021-26255 Filed 12-2-21; 8:45 am]
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