In spring, 1999 a conference was held dealing with the problems of quality management at the Kecskemét County Library closing a three-year project supported by the British Council. It was this conference that motivated the authors in summing up the issues. Factors determining the quality of library services are the following: 1) Library management (goals, aims, strategy, organisational structure, leadership, control of work processes); 2) Library resources /personnel and finance/ (management, personnel, company morale, financial resources); 3) The library as a quality system (processes of quality control, the documentation system of the library); 4) Relationship with the users (the library image, personal relations). When introducing TQM the maturity of the library has to be taken into account. Libraries must stand on a defined level (should be documented, standardised, technologically developed, process-oriented) in order to obtain qualification according to ISO 9000, and are supposed to meet even higher requirements for TOM. 1-2 years are needed for introducing ISO quality requirements, and libraries have in most of the cases real chances to obtain this. Authors sum up the requirements of TQM, its supplementary principles, and offer a good survey of all these points.