Benchmarking quality systems in two European academic libraries

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to benchmark two ISO 9001:2000 based quality management systems, one in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, and the other in Kuopio University, Finland.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is a case study in which both libraries' approach to the building of their quality management system are compared.

Findings

– The ISO 9001:2000 guides institutions so that they will develop their quality management systems along similar lines. Both libraries have devised the same kinds of solutions to the key points of the standard and it has helped them to develop their services and analyze how they have succeeded in this task.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is based on the experiences of two libraries.

Practical implications

– The paper gives examples for the implementation of the ISO 9001:2000 quality standard inside an academic library.

Originality/value

– The paper provides ideas on how a quality system is best developed.