Developing Impact Planning and Assessment at national level: addressing some issues

Purpose - As more countries have joined the Global Libraries (GL) Initiative, the IPA Specialists have gradually evolved into a cohesive team that finds opportunities to meet fairly regularly. Their discussions about the practicalities and challenges of conducting IPA at the country level have drawn attention to a number of issues that are likely to be relevant to other IPA specialists working in similar roles in other countries and to library service managers who are interested in impact evaluation. This paper aims to summarise some of the collective experiences. Design/methodology/approach - Several of the IPA Specialists have "adopted" an issue. Some describe their own country approach to the topic; others have been more analytical in their presentations. Findings - Opinions and findings about four topics are described. They are: sharing learning within the country and sharing beyond that country; ensuring that IPA evidence reflects government and international priorities, and finally combining qualitative and quantitative evidence-forming strategic collaborations and telling stories. Originality/value - The value of the paper lies in informing other IPA specialists in similar roles in other countries, and library service managers who are interested in impact evaluation.