Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

NARA is giving public notice that the agency has submitted to OMB for approval the information collections described in this notice. The public is invited to comment on the proposed information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to OMB at the address below on or before February 25, 2009 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments to Mr. Nicholas A. Fraser, Desk Officer for NARA, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503; fax: 202-395-5167; or electronically mailed to Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the proposed information collections and supporting statements should be directed to Tamee Fechhelm at telephone number 301-837-1694 or fax number 301-713-7409.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), NARA invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed information collections. NARA published a notice of proposed collection for these information collections on November 20, 2008 (73 FR 70383 and 70384). No comments were received. NARA has submitted the described information collections to OMB for approval.

In response to this notice, comments and suggestions should address one or more of the following points: (a) Whether the proposed information collections are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of NARA; (b) the accuracy of NARA's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collections; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of information technology; and (e) whether small businesses are affected by this collection. In this notice, NARA is soliciting comments concerning the following information collections:

1. Title: Application for attendance at the Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents.

OMB number: 3095-0012.

Agency form number: None.

Type of review: Regular.

Affected public: Individuals, often already working on documentary editing projects, who wish to apply to attend the annual one-week Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents, an intensive seminar in all aspects of modern documentary editing techniques taught by visiting editors and specialists.

Estimated number of respondents: 25.

Estimated time per response: 1.5 hours.

Frequency of response: On occasion, no more than annually (when respondent wishes to apply for attendance at the Institute).

Estimated total annual burden hours: 37.5 hours.

Abstract: The application is used by the NHPRC staff to establish the applicant's qualifications and to permit selection of those individuals best qualified to attend the Institute jointly sponsored by the NHPRC, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the University of Wisconsin. Selected applicants forms are forwarded to the resident advisors of the Institute, who use them to determine what areas of instruction would be most useful to the applicants.

You can also use NARA's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/forms/editing-application.pdf to review and fill in the application.

2. Title: National Historical Publications and Records Commission Grant Program.

OMB number: 3095-0013.

Agency form number: None.

Type of review: Regular.

Affected public: Nonprofit organizations and institutions, state and local government agencies, Federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups, and individuals who apply for NHPRC grants for support of historical documentary editions, archival preservation and planning projects, and other records projects.

Estimated number of respondents: 148 per year submit applications; approximately 100 grantees among the applicant respondents also submit semiannual narrative performance reports.

Estimated time per response: 54 hours per application; 2 hours per narrative report.

Frequency of response: On occasion for the application; semiannually for the narrative report. Currently, the NHPRC considers grant applications 2 times per year; respondents usually submit no more than one application per year.

Estimated total annual burden hours: 8,392 hours.

Abstract: The NHPRC is changing the way it provides information about its grant program. The previously all inclusive grant guidelines booklet is being replaced by a suite of announcements where the information will be specific to the grant opportunity named. The basic information collection remains the same. The grant proposal is used by the NHPRC staff, reviewers, and the Commission to determine if the applicant and proposed project are eligible for an NHPRC grant, and whether the proposed project is methodologically sound and suitable for support. The narrative report is used by the NHPRC staff to monitor the performance of grants.

You can also use NARA's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/guidelines/index.html to review the guidelines. The forms used to apply for a grant can be found at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/forms/.