Evaluación y calidad en las bibliotecas universitarias : experiencias españolas entre 1994-2006

This article describes the various signposts which have marked the culture and implantation of Total Quality Management in Spanish university libraries over the last decade, via the implementation of a number of quality plans, namely: the Experimental Plan for Quality Evaluation of the University System; the European Pilot Projects; the National University Quality Evaluation Plans; the Quality Evaluation for the Catalan University Libraries; and the Andalusian University Quality Plan. Starting out from the EFQM model of excellence and the ISO 9000 standards, the text discusses Quality Certification Systems, Strategic Planning, and other management and improvement instruments. For the future, the emphasis will be on quality assurance systems grounded in the new, student-learning-centred educational paradigm, as well as in the principle of the accessible library, based on the continual improvement of service quality as both received and perceived by the users.