Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Request for Generic Clearance To Conduct Voluntary Customer/Partner Surveys

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Request for Generic

Clearance To Conduct Voluntary Customer/Partner Surveys

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to provide opportunity for public

comment on proposed data collection projects, the National Library of

Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish

periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

Proposed Collection

Title: Voluntary Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Type of Information

Collection Request: New. New and Use of Information Collection:

Executive Order 12962 directs agencies that provide significant

services directly to the public to survey customers to determine the

kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction

with existing services. Additionally, since 1994, the NLM has been a

``Federal Reinvention Laboratory'' with a goal of improving its methods

of delivering information to the public. An essential strategy in

accomplishing reinvention goals is the ability to periodically receive

input and feedback from customers about the design and quality of the

services they receive.

The NLM provides significant services directly to the public

including health providers, researchers, universities, other federal

agencies, state and local governments, and to others through a range of

mechanisms, including publications, technical assistance, and web

sites. These services are primarily focused on health and medical

information dissemination activities. The purpose of this submission is

to obtain OMB's generic approval to conduct satisfaction surveys of

NLM's customers. The NLM will use the information provided by

individuals and institutions to identify strengths and weaknesses in

current services and to make improvements where feasible. The ability

to periodically survey NLM's customers is essential to continually

update and upgrade methods of providing high quality service. Frequency

of Response: Annually or biennially. Affected Public: Individuals or

households; businesses or other for profit; state or local governments;

Federal agencies; non-profit institutions; small businesses or

organizations. Type of Respondents: Organizations, medical researchers,

physicians and other health care providers, librarians, students, and

the general public. Annual reporting burden is an follows:

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Number of Estimated

Title of Survey Type of survey respondents response time Burden hours

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evaluation of Clinical Studies Web-based............... 1,000 .167 167

Database.

Visible Human Project--Image Electronic Mail......... 1,000 .25 250

Processing Tools.

PubMed................................ Web-based............... 5,000 .0835 418

Entrez................................ Web-based............... 2,000 .0835 167

GeneMap............................... Web-based............... 2,000 .0835 167

NCBI Web Site......................... Web-based............... 2,000 .0835 167

NLM Service Desk Survey............... Interactive Voice 400 .0835 33

Response telephone.

NLM Onsite Reading Room Use........... Exit Interview.......... 500 .167 84

NLM Electronic Mail Customer Survey... Electronic Mail......... 1,000 .0835 84

MEDLINEplus User Survey............... Web-based............... 500 .0835 59

Survey of Unified Medical Language Mail Survey............. 1,000 .5 500

System (UMLS) Use.

NLM Services Satisfaction Survey...... Web-based............... 2,000 .0835 167

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Total............................. ........................ .............. .............. 2,163

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There are no capital costs to report. There are no operating or

maintenance costs to report.

Request for Comments

Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected

agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1)

Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the

proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of the

agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of

information; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of

the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of

the collection of information on those who are to respond, including

the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or other forms of information

technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To request additional information on the

proposed collection of information contact Ronald F. Stewart, National

Library of Medicine, Building 38, Room 2N07, 8600 Rockville Pike,

Bethesda, MD 20894, or call non-toll free number (301) 496-6491. You

may also e-mail your request to: [email protected].

Comments Due Date

Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of

having their full effect if received on of before November 22, 1999.

Dated: September 13, 1999.

Donald C. Poppke,

Associate Director for Administrative Management, National Library of

Medicine.

[FR Doc. 99-24520 Filed 9-20-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140-01-M