This paper is intended for leaders of libraries or information centers. It concerns the sucess achieved through Dr. William Deming´s philosophy on total quality in the second half of XX century, and how libraries could synergize results by being used in combination with Dr. Stephen Covey´s philosophy, based on a leadership buit on habit for personal change, principles, and planning management. The paper indicates the logical sequence of a quiality process based on both philosophies, and referred to a concrete experience lived at the W.K. Kellog library of the Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda (EART) in Costa Rica. It also refers to bechmarking and empowerrment applied to libraries. It concludes that leadership based on principles, and a management philosophy centered on human resources will lead to an adequate enviroment, in order to reach the information customer´s satisfaction in a library or information center.

Key words: INFORMATION SPECIALIST - XXI CENTURY - TOTAL QUALITY

ARCE DELGADO, José Ruperto The Information Speciallist of the XXI Century: A viewpoint in order to be a the vanguard professional / José Ruperto Arce Delgado // En: Revista Interamericana de Bibliotecología - Medellín - Vol. 22, no. 2 (julio-diciembre 1998); p. 61-75