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The Joy of Sex in the public library
Filed under: Teens, That's Entertainment
When I was a young teen, I was snooping around in my parent's stuff when I found a copy of the book The Joy of Sex. What I remember most about the book was the illustrations, of course. But while I was fascinated by what the man and woman were doing in the pictures, I remember mostly being grossed out that the woman had armpit hair.
Seeing that book at such a young age didn't change my life or make me want to go out and have sex. And while it did satisfy my natural curiosity, I knew that book was not meant for me to be reading at that age and I never told my mother I had found it.
I had to look hard to find that book when I was a kid - in a box, under some junk, on the top shelf of my parent's closet. In other words, a place I wasn't even supposed to be. But today, you can find an updated version of that book - as well as The Joy of Gay Sex - on the shelves of the public library in Nampa, Idaho.
In 2005, Nampa resident Randy Jackson tried to have the books removed after a friend's 14-year-old son came across The Joy of Gay Sex on a library table. His efforts failed, although the library board did agree to move the books to a higher shelf. The library staff also agreed to regularly check to make sure the book wasn't left lying on a table.
That was the end of the story until a recent change in board members prompted Jackson to try again. He says he might be happy with the board agreeing to keep the books behind the desk, but would rather have them removed altogether. He says he doesn't have a problem with explicit dialog or descriptions in library books, but is against these books because they have graphic images and photographs. "These are things you'd expect to find in a magazine in an adult bookstore, not in a publicly funded place with access for kids," he said. "Somebody could be sitting at a table reading it, and if my kids walked by they'd see the pictures."
What do you think about this? Do you agree with Jackson that explicitly illustrated books such as these don't belong in a public library?
Seeing that book at such a young age didn't change my life or make me want to go out and have sex. And while it did satisfy my natural curiosity, I knew that book was not meant for me to be reading at that age and I never told my mother I had found it.
I had to look hard to find that book when I was a kid - in a box, under some junk, on the top shelf of my parent's closet. In other words, a place I wasn't even supposed to be. But today, you can find an updated version of that book - as well as The Joy of Gay Sex - on the shelves of the public library in Nampa, Idaho.
In 2005, Nampa resident Randy Jackson tried to have the books removed after a friend's 14-year-old son came across The Joy of Gay Sex on a library table. His efforts failed, although the library board did agree to move the books to a higher shelf. The library staff also agreed to regularly check to make sure the book wasn't left lying on a table.
That was the end of the story until a recent change in board members prompted Jackson to try again. He says he might be happy with the board agreeing to keep the books behind the desk, but would rather have them removed altogether. He says he doesn't have a problem with explicit dialog or descriptions in library books, but is against these books because they have graphic images and photographs. "These are things you'd expect to find in a magazine in an adult bookstore, not in a publicly funded place with access for kids," he said. "Somebody could be sitting at a table reading it, and if my kids walked by they'd see the pictures."
What do you think about this? Do you agree with Jackson that explicitly illustrated books such as these don't belong in a public library?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 5)
3-10-2008 @ 5:49PM
mamacheryl said...I'm thinking that's a slippery slope. What about the Kamasutra? Those are illustrations. What about erotica in general? Should everything with sexual content be banned? Or just gay sexual content?
As a society, we make rules about what is acceptable and what isn't, even when it comes to self-expression. Pornography is permissible, but not if it includes minors. That's less about the distastefulness of the fetish and more about the harm to the minors involved.
The question here then is less about the content of the books, but rather if minors are allowed to view the content and if they are harmed by it.
I'm going to say no. I think libraries should make it hard for minors to see the material if they aren't looking for it. They can put sleeves around books with sexual illustrations that instruct the reader to be discreet about who might see the images. They can put them on high shelves and not on a showcase.
But I just can't feel right about taking the books out. There's a place in society for books like this. It's a book for the curious, for someone seeking information, heck, for someone seeking a little eye candy.
For the same reason the Joy of Sex was so popular amongst people who weren't perverts, the Joy of Gay Sex should be available to those who won't find much value in explanations of heterosexual sex.
Cheryl
http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com
Reply
3-10-2008 @ 10:07PM
Ashley said...Okay, here's the thing. 1) public libraries are intended for everyone to use. Therefore, placing a book out of circulation or on a higher shelf (out a Dewey system), is wrong. 2) libraries are not responcible for what children read. 3) parents need to play a bigger part in what their children do. 4) children see worse on thier unsupervised home computers.
I'm a librarian in training (working on my MLS). Libraries are always in the middle of the parental tug of war. It's not fair to place so much on them. What I know from my studies and what I know from reality is that while the ALA advocates for fair use, parents often try to meddle, and some libraries bow to it. They shouldn't. If you don't want your children reading materials of a certian kind, tell them...don't place the duty on the librarians.
3-11-2008 @ 5:57AM
Me said...Amen to both you and Ashley
3-10-2008 @ 6:41PM
Brandi said...I don't think this is as much an issue of one of the books relating to gay material as it is about both books being in a place where children could see them.
I personally think they should be placed where children can't see them or find them. I have no problem with them being placed behind a counter so that you have to ask for the books.
Brandi from http://www.marital-matters.com/
Reply
3-10-2008 @ 6:50PM
Uly said...If they're placed where you have to ask for them, then some people simply will not ask. You've effectively prevented some adults from reading a useful book. Well done!
Move the book to a higher shelf and remind parents that children are supposed to be supervised in libraries, and that's the end of it.
Reply
3-10-2008 @ 6:59PM
Karen said...Why is the burden on the parents of children to keep them from seeing the book as opposed to the burden being on the person that wants to see the book?
If they are too embarassed to ask, there are other places to get the book. Additionally, you don't get to sneak it out. You check it out (through a person) and there is a record that you have the book.
While I oppose cencorship, I do think the burden is on the library and adults to keep the book out of view of kids and teens.
That said, my children have seen all the pictures, they have been explained, discussed, ...repeat. I doubt they would be all that interested.
Additionally, children are often in libraries without supervision after school.
Reply
3-10-2008 @ 7:28PM
Uly said...So what if children "are often in libraries without supervision after school"? All I hear from librarians on the subject is that this is a pain and a hassle - the library is not a free babysitting service.
Your kid. YOU watch 'em.
Frankly, I wouldn't care one whit if my kid or yours saw The Joy of Sex - but I'd be there supervising anyway just because that's the right thing to do.
3-10-2008 @ 8:32PM
Karen said...So you oppose censorship, yet you want the library staff to censor the book by putting obstacles to viewing the materials? A library is a place for all people to come and have free access to all materials, even those that some others might find offensive. If a person needs info but is too embarrassed to ask a librarian, do you really think they are going to head over to Barnes & Noble?
If there are materials that a parent finds inappropriate for their children, then it is their responsibilty to supervise their kids while at the library and monitor what they view. Why? because it is the parents job, NOT the library staff's.
Yes, it is a very slippery slope. But ultimately our wonderfull country gives us the freedom to think for ourselves and our families and not be controlled by what others find appropriate. Banning books, ANY books is wrong.
3-10-2008 @ 9:00PM
Grey said...Umm, the responsibility IS the parents, because they ARE the parents. I wish people would stop trying to be their kids "friends" instead of their parents. Of course it is a parent's responsibility to guide and teach and protect from what they view as harmful. Libraries are places of learning, not day care centers. Grow Up!
3-10-2008 @ 9:31PM
tim said..."Why is the burden on the parents of children to keep them from seeing the book... " uh cuz its YOUR CHILD!! YOUR RESPONSIBILITY....so wonderful to see more parents passing the buck onto somebody else's back...but i guess it makes sense...that way if their child becomes a social miscreant screw up they can blame everybody else who influenced their lives. here's a concept. if you have an idea of how you want your kid to behave...YOU AS THE PARENT TAKE RESPONSIBLITY!!
and as far as "the joy of sex" being available in libraries...if you can reach the top two shelves without a stool to stand on then you should be old enough to read the book on your own
3-10-2008 @ 9:44PM
Karen said...Who said anything about being your child's friend as opposed to their parent?
It is absurd to say that children shoudn't be in a library without a parent and that if they are old enough to be there they should have access to ANY book. We restrict the sale and viewing of books to children in a multitude of places, why should it be different in a library?
I also never said anything about banning the book. I said restrict its access to adults. Period.
It makes no difference whether I think my children should see the book, it matters what we as a society have decided is appropriate for children.
Personally, I have a very open relationship with my children and have no problems discussing sex at age appropriate levels. That being said, I'm not interested in them seeing photographs of sexual intercourse. It just isn't necessary. I don't think they will be harmed by a glimpse of sex, but children that aren't old enough to have sex, shouldn't be veiwing the act either.
3-11-2008 @ 1:24AM
Librarian Lady said...Librarians are not babysitters. We have Masters Degrees, and our job is to provide access to information. We are gateways, not gate-keepers to information.
What about the woman who is embarrassed to ask at the desk for information on spousal abuse? Because the topic is graphic, and may contain pictures, should we also keep those books behind the desk? What if she is too embarrassed to ask for the information, or too poor to purchase the books, or doesn't know exactly what information is available to her? Are we to deny her that information? What about the man with prostate cancer? Should we keep any medical information that contains pictures, sometimes graphic, of genitals off the shelves?
The public library is a place for people to find information on all topics. We all pay our taxes. We all should be able to have free-and-clear access to good service, and confidential or anonymous information.
If a child of 14 is browsing around in the library, it is still not up to the Librarian to decide what he should or should not be browsing, unless it is illegal. If you remember the oringinal story, the boy was supposed to be looking for books on something that was several hundred Dewey Decimal Numbers away from the number for the book on gay sex. HE was searching for that information. No Librarian forced it into his hands.
3-10-2008 @ 7:08PM
Ethel said...Slippery slope indeed. More then that, why is it a terrible thing for a kid to see? I mean, I find pornography to be entirely demeaning and destructive - the way that women and sex is portrayed is unrealistic and demeaning. I'd rather sex be portrayed realistically without demeaning anyone, and as much as I have seen of the "Joy of Sex" is fairly realistic (OMG, adults have HAIR!), and decent all in all.
This whole story goes along with having open discussions with your children about sex, that doing so will protect them from early sex, unplanned sex (as in sans birth control and STD protection), and in general a harmful sexual life. If you are talking to your kids about what you believe and how you feel about sex, then this is one book that will be the least likely to harm them. Okay, the least likely in terms of their seeing books about human sexuality.
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3-10-2008 @ 8:20PM
Maureen said...While it's been quite a while since I've been on the receiving end of sex education, most of my knowledge came from getting a copy of The Joy of Sex on my own and reading it. If I'd relied on my parents, I'd still be waiting. I think there are probably a number of parents who HOPE their kids come across The Joy of Sex, to avoid a conversation they'd rather not have. Which isn't good, but probably more realistic than we'd like to think.
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3-10-2008 @ 8:52PM
doug said...As a retired school administrator, I often had to fight the censorship battle of what is right to be in the public school library. While I am somewhat opposed to censorship in general, I still feel that librarians have a duty to place sensitive materials intended for adults in a place available to adults but away from young children. There are too many opinions out there as to what is and is not appropriate to young children. Ultimately, that is the decision of the parent and, while we may make materials available to the general public, there are certain protections that we owe our children. Censorship could easily be used to remove materials that have allowed our democracy to thrive. The Bible, for instance, has stories of rape, incest, and brutal killings. Removing it from libraries might make some happy, but to others, like me, that would be a travesty. Appropriate placement of materials that are not age-appropriate for children is the best solution for all concerned.
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3-10-2008 @ 9:26PM
Karen said...I still do not understand why you are more concerned with whether or not the adult is embarassed or inconvienced than you are concerned if children see the images. Why do the adult needs trump those of the child? We don't make these books available for sale to children, why should they have access to them in a library?
I'm not saying get rid of the book, just put it out of reach of children.
And while young children should be supervised in a library, tweens and teens should be able to use a library without a parent present. The librarians should also be empowered to enforce rules. I do not think it is a babysitter, but children should be allowed to use the library after school even if a parent isn't available. Rules should be enforced.
But again...placing books with graphic sexual content out of reach of children does not seem unreasonable to me. There is a lot of disagreement on whether these types of images are harmful to children, studies point both ways. I just say we err on the side of the CHILDREN.
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3-11-2008 @ 2:11PM
DPearson said...Why is the burden on the parents of the children? Because they are your children and your responsibility.
"Your kid. YOU watch 'em." Absolutely.
I have three kids - one of them will sniff out the last book I want him to see if I leave it down off of a high shelf. And that's my responsibility. Whereas my kids are young enough that they don't go anywhere without my wife or I or a responsible adult, when they are I certainly won't take the library to task for them coming upon a book that is available for general distribution. But also I won't expect the library to look after my kids either.
If you want your kids viewing to be filtered, train them well yourself and/or decide whether you are willing to let them go out in the big, wide, unfiltered world. Don't expect the rest of us to be subject to the filters that you want applied to your kids.
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3-11-2008 @ 5:59PM
Jennifer said...My kudos to the staff at Nampa's library and to the state for their open-mindedness in stocking the book.
Do I agree with Randy Jackson? No. Does that bother me? No.
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3-10-2008 @ 9:05PM
KScribe said...It's the 21st Century -- why are Americans still SO uptight about sexuality? Have we returned to Puritan times? I don't see the harm in having these books available at a public library. There are books depicting scenes of violence and war that any teen could pick up and read, and no one objects. But a book that dares to address S-E-X OH MY !! Come on people -- let's lighten up and allow a public library to have such books in their collection. Should young children have access to such books? Well, I guess that should be up to the parents of that child. I think some children/pre-teens are mature enough to handle the material and it may teach them safety issues concerned with sexuality today. But ultimately, aren't parents responsible for their children's actions?
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3-10-2008 @ 9:42PM
BirishB said...Have we returned to Puritan times?
My question is, did we ever leave them behind?
I agree with your comment in the fullest -- our own hang ups are what make the Joy of Sex a naughty book and our own insecurities are what makes it's subject taboo.