Abstract
National-level management of Iran’s public libraries faces multiple challenges. This study aims to identify and map the system of issues in the management of Iran’s public libraries. Using a qualitative approach, the research employed a meta-synthesis method based on Sandelowski and Barroso’s seven-step model. From an initial pool of 64 articles on the study topic conducted in Iran from a national perspective and published between 2011 (1390) and 2025 (1404), 13 articles were ultimately selected after several screening stages, using the criteria of study population relevance, topical relevance, methodological credibility, and currency. The findings and results of the selected studies were then analyzed. By integrating the qualitative findings of the included studies, the extracted content was synthesized into 61 codes and 14 concepts, which were grouped into four categories: policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation. According to the results, the major issues across these categories were as follows: policymaking issues—ambiguity in roles and institutional arrangements, fragmentation and lack of policy coherence; planning issues—a strategic gap between the current and desired states, and environmental uncertainties; implementation issues—human resource challenges and the development of organizational culture; and evaluation issues—inefficiencies in strategic control systems and misalignment between evaluation indicators and organizational missions. In conclusion, national-level management of Iran’s public libraries is confronted with an interconnected network of issues spanning policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Addressing these challenges requires a systematic and holistic mechanism and approach that recognizes the interdependence of issues and their reciprocal effects. Rather than treating each managerial problem in isolation, this approach conceptualizes the set of issues within the four domains of policymaking, planning, implementation, and evaluation as a continuous, iterative cycle and process.