In May 1999 auditors of TÜV Rhenland EUROQUA carried out a certification procedure in the National Technical Information Centre and Library and declared that the quality assurance system introduced in the four basic functions (library, information, techni cal-economic, editing, translation and publication) meets the provisions of the ISO 9002 standard. It can be said that the National Technical Information Centre and Library is the first non-profit, government budgeted institution in Hungary that has a cer tified quality assurance system so far as its library-based services are concerned.
Standards ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 apply to production companies, but they have also been adapted to service institutions (standard ISO 9004-2). The National Technical Information Centre and Library has prepared with the aid of an external counselling company. Phases of the preparation were: survey of the state-of-the-art, scheduling; establishing the quality organisation; training; formulating the quality policy; creating the documentation system; implementing the system, its operation; internal auditing ; amendments; TÜV auditing, improvements; managerial decree; TÜV certification. The National Technical Information Centre and Library expects the certification to increase the trust and satisfaction of users; to ensure permanently high quality services; t o cease parallel work; easiness of supervision; change of attitude; and efficient operation through corrective measures.