E8-27685. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

NARA is giving public notice that the agency proposes to renew the information collections described in this notice, which are used in the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant program. The public is invited to comment on the proposed information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before January 20, 2009 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should be sent to: Paperwork Reduction Act Comments (NHP), Room 4400, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Rd, College Park, MD 20740-6001; or faxed to 301-713-7409; or electronically mailed to [e-mail].

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. The 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. The comments that are submitted will be summarized and included in the NARA request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. 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 Title: Application for Attendance at the Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents.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 posts grant announcements to their Web site and to Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), 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/​apply/​index.html to review application instructions.

Dated: November 14, 2008.

Martha Morphy,

Assistant Archivist for Information Services.