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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 104 (Tuesday, May 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31367-31368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13417]

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NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests: Sustaining 
Digitized Special Collections and Archives Survey

AGENCY: Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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

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SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services (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. Chapter 35). 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. By this notice, IMLS is soliciting comments 
concerning a proposed survey to gather information on the practices of 
creating and maintaining sustainable digitized special collections.
    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 
addressee section below on or before July 25, 2011.
    IMLS 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 submissions of responses.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Chuck Thomas, Institute of Museum and 
Library Services, 1800 M Street, NW., 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. 
Telephone: 202-653-4663. E-mail: cthomas@imls.gov or by 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 17,500 
museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and 
museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute 
works at the national level and in coordination with state and local 
organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance 
learning and innovation; and support professional development. IMLS 
conducts policy research, analysis, and data collection to extend and 
improve the Nation's museum, library, and information services. The 
policy research, analysis, and data collection is used to: identify 
national needs for and trends in museum, library, and information 
services; measure and report on the impact and effectiveness of museum, 
library, and information services throughout the United States; 
identify best practices; and develop plans to improve museum, library, 
and information services of the United States and strengthen national, 
State, local, regional, and international communications and 
cooperative networks. (20 U.S.C. Chapter 72, 20 U.S.C. 9108).

II. Current Actions

    Over the past decade, libraries, archives, museums, foundations and 
government agencies, and others have invested millions in the 
digitization of historical and rare content for research, education, 
cultural heritage. Grants have facilitated major digitization efforts, 
developed significant new collections, and paved the way for exciting 
new forms of research and teaching, possible only in an online 
environment. As budgets tighten and the real costs of ongoing support 
for digital projects become clear, however, libraries, archives, and 
museums are discovering

[[Page 31368]]

that the work associated with digitization projects rarely concludes 
when the last scanned file is posted to a public site. The maintenance 
of digital projects requires an ongoing investment of both financial 
and human resources; not only must servers be supported and user 
queries answered, but rapid advances in technology are changing user 
expectations about how they want to discover, interact with, and share 
digital content. These changes are creating complicated new challenges 
for libraries, archives, and other institutions that wish to digitize 
and make available their local special and archival collections.
    The project will consist of two parts: first, a survey asking 
representatives from a range of institutions to document existing 
practices and attitudes toward sustaining digitized special 
collections, and second, a series of case studies on innovative models 
for managing and sustaining digitized special collections (to be 
released in Spring 2012). This study will promote the spread of 
knowledge about library and museum experiments and initiatives to 
support digital projects, enabling both the leaders of current and 
future digital projects to develop more robust sustainability plans and 
also the funders and institutional administrators who support these 
projects to understand the factors and variables that help point 
towards success. This survey will attempt to gather data from a broad 
and representative range of cultural heritage organizations across the 
United States.
    This survey is intended for libraries, archives, museums, and other 
cultural heritage organizations that have digitized some portion of 
their special collections or have arranged to have their special 
collections digitized by a third party. Please do not hesitate to 
contact the authors of the survey (see contact information below) if 
you are unsure whether the survey applies to your organization.
    The survey is being distributed to leaders of libraries or other 
institutions that are: Recipients of IMLS funds for digitization 
projects from 1997 to the present, (through National Leadership Grants 
or via other routes such as LSTA funding) or Members of the Association 
of Research Libraries.
    Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services.
    Title: Sustaining Digitized Special Collections and Archives 
Survey.
    OMB Number: To be determined.
    Agency Number: 3137.
    Frequency: One-time survey.
    Affected Public: Libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural 
heritage organizations.
    Number of Respondents: To be determined.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: To be determined.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: To be determined.
    Total Costs: To be determined.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chuck Thomas, Institute of Museum and 
Library Services, 1800 M Street NW., 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. 
Telephone: 202-653-4663. E-mail: cthomas@imls.gov or by or by teletype 
(TTY/TDD) for persons with hearing difficulty at 202-653-4614.

     Dated: May 25, 2011.
Kim Miller,
Management Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2011-13417 Filed 5-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7036-01-P
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