{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T23:08:07Z","timestamp":1777072087856,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,1,7]],"date-time":"2014-01-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1389052800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,1,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>\u2013 This research seeks to discover the type of discourse encouraged around controversial materials, particularly those of a sexual nature, in LIS educational texts. Censorship and controversial materials are often issues addressed in the LIS literature, but even with ideals of neutrality it can be difficult to remain balanced on certain issues, particularly those dealing with sex.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>\u2013 A content analysis of 85 LIS texts on collection development, reference, and intellectual freedom was completed using the following thematic elements: sex, pornography, erotica, curiosa, facetiae, obscenity, censorship, and controversial materials. Deeper analysis of individual definitions and usages was informed by Michel Foucault's perspective that education \u201cfollows the well-trodden battle lines of social conflict. Every educational system is a political means of maintaining or of modifying the appropriation of discourse\u201d (Foucault, 1972, p. 227).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>\u2013 Findings from the investigation indicate that LIS texts are predominately pejorative when discussing sexual topics such as erotica and pornography. Few texts provide distinctions between different types or genres of sexual materials.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>\u2013 The majority of texts analyzed for this study were published in the USA and hence have an American bias. This bias necessitated the use of American legal terminology and a reliance on American Library Association guidelines for examination purposes. The emphasis on American terminology may limit the applicability of the results outside of North America.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>\u2013 Sex is one of the most highly cited reasons for challenges to materials in libraries. At the same time the mainstream popularity of the<jats:italic>Fifty Shades of Grey<\/jats:italic>trilogy has created a new, widespread interest in the publishing, reading, and collecting of erotica. An understanding of how these texts are defined and identified in the LIS literature provides greater understanding of the discipline's biases.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jd-11-2012-0150","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,12,12]],"date-time":"2013-12-12T10:20:27Z","timestamp":1386843627000},"page":"62-73","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Beyond obscenity: an analysis of sexual discourse in LIS educational texts"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"70","author":[{"given":"Heather","family":"Hill","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Marni","family":"Harrington","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b1","unstructured":"ABC News (2012), \u201cABC News Headlines\u201d, available at: http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/blogs\/headlines \/2012\/05\/florida-county-library-lifts-ban-on-50-shades-of-grey\/ (accessed 22 June 2012)."},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b3","unstructured":"American Library Association (1996), Intellectual Freedom Manual, 5th ed., American Library Association, Chicago, IL."},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b2","unstructured":"American Library Association (2002), Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th ed., American Library Association, Chicago, IL."},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b4","unstructured":"Asheim, L. (1953), \u201cNot censorship but selection\u201d, Wilson Library Bulletin, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 63-67."},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Attwood, F. (2002), \u201cReading porn: the paradigm shift in pornography research\u201d, Sexualities, Vol. 5 No. 1, p. -.","DOI":"10.1177\/1363460702005001005"},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Attwood, F. (2006), \u201cSexed up: theorizing the sexualization of culture\u201d, Sexualities, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 77-94.","DOI":"10.1177\/1363460706053336"},{"key":"key2021010400553496200_b7","unstructured":"Bentley, P. 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