assessing the work environment of iranian national library for creativity of its staff: a case study

purpose: this article aims to assess the impact of the work environment of the iranian national library and archive (nli) on creativity of its staff based on their opinion. method: keys standard questionnaire was distributed among all staff who had an academic degree. 183 completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed using spss. findings: results showed that the work environment of nli is currently not suitable for fostering and supporting creativity among staff. among the influencing factors, managerial support, freedom and organizational support did not exist at a satisfactory level in nli. there were differences among women and men and also among staff with different levels of education towards the work environment of nli and its suitability for creativity. staff with lower levels of academic education compared to those with higher levels of educations, and men compared compared to women had more positive attitudes towards their work environment and considered it to be more suitable for creativity. staff belived that the most preventing as well as encouraging factors were related to procedures, structures and organizational attitudes. the authors suggest that nli managers should try to modify the structure and procedures of the organizations.