Introduction
Public libraries serve as vital service-oriented cultural institutions designed to promote reading culture and enhance citizens' quality of life. The effectiveness of these institutions relies heavily on specialized human resources who possess advanced competencies and adaptability to modern technological demands. In an era characterized by an exponential growth of information, librarians must be equipped with information literacy to continuously realign library services with evolving community needs. Information literacy encompasses the skills required to recognize information needs, locate, evaluate, and effectively utilize information. From an organizational perspective, information literacy serves as a foundational element that fuels organizational creativity, defined as the generation of novel ideas and solutions to optimize workflow quality and reduce costs. Consequently, enhanced creativity and information competence directly influence job performance, which reflects the expected organizational value of an employee's behaviors over time.
Despite the acknowledged importance of these variables individually, public libraries frequently encounter operational challenges stemming from deficits in information literacy, creative problem-solving, and overall performance. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the structural relationship between information literacy, organizational creativity, and job performance among public library staff in Kermanshah Province. The central research questions explored whether information literacy directly drove organizational creativity and job performance, and whether organizational creativity played a mediating role in this dynamic. Three main hypotheses were tested:
1. Information literacy had a direct positive impact on organizational creativity.
2. Information literacy had a direct positive impact on job performance.
3. Organizational creativity mediated the relationship between information literacy and job performance.
Literature Review
The intersection of information literacy, organizational creativity, and job performance has been explored across various organizational and educational domains. Early domestic inquiries, such as those by Bieranvand and Soheili (2015) and Rajabzadeh and Esmailpour (2016), confirmed that favorable institutional conditions and high information literacy fostered organizational creativity. Similarly, Hakimzadeh et al. (2015) and Arjmand Kermani and Tirgar (2017) demonstrated that information literacy positively influenced academic performance, computer self-efficacy, and creative decision-making. In library context studies, Khalili et al. (2022) revealed that elevating librarians' information literacy enhanced both their professional engagement and creative output.
On the international front, empirical evidence consistently highlighted the pivotal role of information skills in workforce outcomes. Chang and Hsu (2015) and Hsu and Chen (2017) confirmed positive correlations between information literacy and workplace creativity. Wu (2018) established that information self-efficacy boosted creativity, which subsequently enhanced job performance. Recent scholarship further expanded this horizon: Saadia and Naveed (2024) demonstrated that information literacy directly drove lifelong learning, creativity, and job performance among media professionals. Mughari et al. (2024) and Naveed et al. (2026) integrated modern facets of information literacy, such as artificial intelligence literacy, showing its strong positive influence on occupational performance mediated by job involvement. Furthermore, Kolyvas et al. (2025) and Shahzad and Khan (2025) emphasized that fulfilling information needs and introducing challenging workplace environments were vital for nurturing imagination, handling information overload, and optimizing library performance. Building upon these empirical foundations, this study addressed a distinct research gap by comprehensively analyzing these three constructs within a unified structural model specifically tailored to public librarians.
Methodology
This research was an applied study that utilized a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis. The statistical population comprised all public librarians employed in Kermanshah Province, totaling 170 individuals across 87 library branches. Using Cochran's formula, a sample size of 118 librarians was determined. The sampling technique employed was proportional stratified random sampling, wherein each county in Kermanshah Province was treated as a distinct stratum, followed by simple random sampling within each stratum.
Data collection was executed using three standardized questionnaires:
1. Information Literacy Questionnaire (Ghasemi et al., 2007): Consisting of 30 items measuring five dimensions—recognizing information needs, effective access, evaluation criteria, optimal usage, and adherence to legal/ethical standards. Its Cronbach's alpha reliability was established at 0.812.
2. Organizational Creativity Questionnaire (Dorabjee et al., 1998): Containing 12 items, yielding a Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.928.
3. Job Performance Questionnaire (Paterson, 1970): Comprising 15 items, with an established Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.976. Content and face validity were verified by academic experts at Razi University.
Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS software packages. Descriptive statistics were utilized to evaluate baseline variable scores. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed to test path relationships and evaluate structural model fit. To evaluate the indirect mediating effects, the bootstrap procedure with a 95% confidence interval was utilized.
Results
Descriptive analysis revealed that the mean scores for all main variables exceeded the theoretical baseline average of 3.0 on a 5-point Likert scale. Information literacy achieved an overall mean of 3.96 (standard deviation = 0.86). Among its sub-dimensions, "recognizing information needs" scored the highest mean (4.01), whereas "adherence to legal/ethical standards" recorded the lowest mean (3.93). Job performance and organizational creativity recorded mean values of 4.04 (standard deviation = 1.03) and 3.98 (standard deviation = 0.84), respectively, indicating favorable baseline conditions among Kermanshah librarians.
Model fit evaluation demonstrated that the proposed structural model fit the empirical data robustly. The chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio was 2.97. Comparative fit indices were satisfactory: Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.887, Relative Fit Index (RFI) = 0.861, Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.949, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.936, and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.948. The Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) was 0.069, confirming an acceptable model fit.
Hypothesis testing yielded the following structural outcomes:
• Hypothesis 1: Information literacy exerted a statistically significant direct positive effect on organizational creativity, with a standard path coefficient of 0.57 (p = 0.023). Thus, Hypothesis 1 was supported.
• Hypothesis 2: Information literacy exhibited a strong, direct positive influence on job performance, with a standard path coefficient of 0.71 (p = 0.004). Thus, Hypothesis 2 was supported.
• Hypothesis 3: The bootstrap analysis for indirect effects confirmed that information literacy significantly influenced job performance indirectly through organizational creativity. The indirect path coefficient was 0.17 (p = 0.014), with a 95% bootstrap confidence interval ranging from 0.050 (lower bound) to 0.372 (upper bound). Since zero fell outside this confidence interval, organizational creativity's mediating role was statistically supported.
Discussion
The empirical findings confirmed that information literacy significantly enhanced both organizational creativity and job performance, while organizational creativity acted as a vital intermediate mechanism. The positive link between information literacy and organizational creativity aligned with previous empirical studies (Chang & Hsu, 2015; Saadia & Naveed, 2024; Kolyvas et al., 2025). Librarians possessing advanced information competencies were adept at identifying information gaps, navigating digital retrieval tools, and critically evaluating resources. This proficiency reduced operational anxiety, stimulated divergent thinking, and allowed librarians to synthesize ideas in novel ways to solve complex workplace challenges.
Furthermore, the direct impact of information literacy on job performance reinforced conclusions reached by Al-Azri et al. (2023), Mughari et al. (2024), and Naveed et al. (2026). When librarians quickly accessed reliable data, adhered to legal/ethical standards, and applied information effectively, service accuracy and administrative efficiency increased, leading to improved job performance metrics. Importantly, the confirmed mediating role of organizational creativity highlighted that information literacy alone was most effective when translated into innovative practices. Creative librarians transformed raw information skills into optimized library workflows, user-centric services, and modernized information management systems, which in turn elevated performance across public library branches.
Conclusion
This study concluded that information literacy was a primary determinant of both organizational creativity and overall job performance among public library personnel in Kermanshah Province. Information-literate librarians demonstrated higher creative problem-solving capacities, which directly translated into enhanced service effectiveness and superior administrative achievements.
Based on these conclusions, several practical recommendations were offered to public library administrators:
1. Public library management should design and implement continuous, hands-on, in-service training workshops focused on advancing information literacy skills, emerging digital search platforms, AI-driven information tools, and critical resource evaluation.
2. Human resource departments within public library networks should incorporate standardized information literacy assessments as key criteria during recruitment, hiring, and staff promotion processes to ensure high organizational creativity and operational excellence.