Date : 25/05/2006 Quality – an on-going practice and reflection in a governmental library (1996-2006) Paula Ochôa INCITE, the Portuguese Association for Information Management e-mail paula.ochoa@sg.min-edu.pt Leonor Gaspar Pinto INCITE, the Portuguese Association for Information Management e-mail – lgpinto@sapo.pt Meeting: 78 Government Libraries with Social Science Libraries Simultaneous Interpretation: Yes  WORLD LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CONGRESS: 72ND IFLA GENERAL CONFERENCE AND COUNCIL 20-24 August 2006, Seoul, Korea http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla72/index.htm  Abstract This paper discusses the different quality concepts and strategies implemented, since 1996, by a governmental specialized library – the Information Unit of the General Secretariat of the Portuguese Ministry of Education, and suggests specific characteristics of how learning of client –centred methodologies is related to Knowledge Management and Competences Management. The Information Unit’s quality journey is analysed in terms of its three stages: 1. Developing and implementing quality models and methods (EFQM – European Foundation for Quality Management - excellence model; CAF – Common Assessment framework, the self-evaluation framework recommended for European Public Administration Services) – 1996-2000; 2. Developing and implementing a quality concept linked to Knowledge Management – 2001-2002. 3. Developing and implementing a quality concept linked to Competencies management – 2003-2006. p. 1/19