Application of ISO 9000 in information and library services

Abstract

The basic standards of quality management. ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 form the ISO 9000 standards. The objectives of these specifications are the regulation of workflow in an organization, to guarantee and develop product and service qualities. Though the standards have been determined basically according to the expectations of the industrial environment, their majority can be used equally for specific services, like in the information and library environment. For these types of services, the standards are intended for the deliberate formation and development of service quality. The application of ISO 9000 standards has started for various service industries in Hungary, including several clinics and local government organizations. In the time of writing, among Hungárián libraries and information centres only the National Technical Information Centre and Library was certified according to the specifications. However, following the practice of Western European libraries, it can be foreseen that quality management will soon become a major issue of Hungarian information service providers, and libraries possessing quality certification will appear in growing number. A titerature review of some selected intemational and Hungarian information and library publications is presented, and the author's personal system development activities are shown. The characteristic features, expectations and requirements of the standard, according to its twenty chapters are described, and the steps for its introduction and qualifying for certification are discussed.