Setting the stage for the participatory design of public e-services: public libraries as hosts of Civic Innovation Centres.

In this paper we address the lack of user involvement in the development of public e-services. Based on related literature, we present a contextualization of civic participation and participatory design (in its historical Scandinavian approach) in relation to public e-service innovation. We describe an upcoming project collaborating with public libraries in three Nordic countries, and put forward some open questions about possible directions for the planned project work. Through this paper and work we contribute to the development of more fine-grained and refined concepts related to spaces of innovation. We also outline the potential role of participatory design in and for the public sector.