Navigating tensions in public value co-creation: the role of scripts

This paper explores how public libraries are changing their value creation practicesby listening to users, while also retaining their professional judgment on public value.Traditionally viewed as venues for information, education, and cultural activities, libraries areincreasingly transformed into complex service systems that support citizens’ value creation inmultiple ways. The study employs the concept of scripting to investigate, in three librarycases, how public value creation practices are changing through interactions between librarystaff and users. We identify four iterative scripting activities: claiming the territory (initialscripting), experimenting with engagement formats (experimental scripting), retainingprofessional judgment power (selective re-scripting), and narrowing the workspace (retentivescripting) that together navigate between “what the public values” and “what adds value tothe public sphere”. We refer to this as “dialectic scripting”. The paper contributes to thepublic value literature by providing a framework for understanding behavioral patterns ofpublic value creation, with broader implications for other public sector organizations as well.