Abstract:
: Organizations all over the world today are becoming customer-oriented organizations to survive. There is, therefore, the need to provide quality products and services to their customers. Total Quality Management affords the relevant tools and the direction to provide and improve quality. Libraries and information centres are part of a service organization which delivers products personally to the customer. Libraries and information centres have always been implementing and continue to commit to providing a high quality of services to its users. The primary purpose of libraries and information centres is to support the teaching, research, and other academic programs of its parent organization. This study sought to discuss issues relating to total quality management and its application in libraries and information centres. Total quality management was discussed from the perspectives of quality; quality management (quality planning; quality control; quality assurance; and quality audit); libraries, information centres; and the application of total quality management in libraries and information centres. In other to achieve quality in libraries and information centres, the study discussed the 6Cs (Commitment, Culture, Continues improvement, Cooperation, Customer focus, and Control) of total quality management and how they relate to libraries and information centres. The study concludes that total quality management in libraries and information centres ensures that the products and service delivery to patrons should be consistent with the established standard. In light of this, LICs must develop systems, philosophies, and strategies for managing quality.
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