This is a very interesting subject worth exploring, I feel, as there is a fine line that can become quite blurred in relation to "what is porn and what is not". I find the subject of great interest as I am involved in two films that have, at times, become caught in the web if such discussions, and I find it very difficult to navigate. The films are:
Semi Colin "Semi Colin" is a beautiful and simplistic look into the eyes of an artist, facing the morality of his passion, his art and his compulsion. The film explores the life and work of a British erotic illustrator who firmly believes that his drawings are art and not pornographic. Presented as a monologue, the debate roars into the forefront and the artist delves into his reasoning. http://soundviewmediapartners.com/?p=993 The Lovers' Guide This is quite a different conundrum. The series, which is approx. 12 hours (carved into two 5-disc collection), is quite graphic as it presents by chapters sexual instruction across a broad range of subjects. It has been reviewed wonderfully, but also censored by many distributors due its graphic nature. It is, however, presented by Doctors and experts, and since this is documentary/instruction should not be classified as porn. http://soundviewmediapartners.com/?s=lovers Both of the above are available on Amazon. Lovers' Guide specifically is a top selling series in the special interest genre at #66 http://amzn.to/12BpovN. I do find it weird that some distributors including Baker & Taylor have chosen not to carry the series. I would be most interested in hearing thoughts about these products. Dan Gurlitz Soundview Media Partners LLC 917-402-0460 / [email protected] www.soundviewmediapartners.com / www.facebook.com/SoundviewMediaPartners www.linkedin.com/in/dangurlitz -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2014 11:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: videolib Digest, Vol 84, Issue 16 Send videolib mailing list submissions to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/[email protected] or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> You can reach the person managing the list at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of videolib digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: pornographic films in the Library collection? (Darby Orcutt) 2. Re: pornographic films in the Library collection? (Doug Poswencyk) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 10:58:00 -0500 From: Darby Orcutt <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [Videolib] pornographic films in the Library collection? To: "[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Message-ID: <cal08p8dkdqe64bxb66haz6k3mm7z1o7_g9dxhbe3edyvhfh...@mail.gmail.com<mailto:cal08p8dkdqe64bxb66haz6k3mm7z1o7_g9dxhbe3edyvhfh...@mail.gmail.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Maureen, Like many things, this comes down to very local and context-driven decision-making, in which you need to balance a LOT of considerations. I faced a request more than a decade ago for an extremely hardcore pornographic film that, after careful consideration, I declined. The faculty member was pleased with the thoughtfulness and fairness of the process, and agreed with the ultimate rationale. As I recall, some of the important factors were: -This was a single film for a single course, and therefore not related to a major part of our curriculum. -Legally, we would need to prevent circulation to/viewing by minors. Since many of our freshmen enter at age 17 (or even younger), and we have no "user type" or such in our catalog system that distinguishes these students, we would not be easily (if at all) able to ensure our compliance with the law. (If you haven't checked your state's laws in this regard, you will want to do so. This may clear up the question of "what is porn?" as well as how you would need to deal with certain materials.) -We are a state institution. We would wish politically to tread carefully when adding materials of this type (and certainly not use state-appropriated, taxpayer-funded monies with which to do this). While we could perhaps devise a way of limiting use to those 18 years old & above, creating a special collection, workflow, and processes unlike those for any of our other content, the cost (and potential consequences of error) would be great. My final decision was therefore based on cost - not of the material, per se, but overall cost of providing the access. Just as I might deny a request for a DVD that costs, say, $3,000, I turned down this request. Again, the faculty agreed with this line of thinking. Had my university been starting a major new program in Porn Studies, well, the costs and risks might have seemed reasonable. Like I said, these are always local and contextualized decisions. I hope this helps. Best, Darby Darby Orcutt Assistant Head, Collection Management Department Chair, Humanities & Social Sciences Subject Team North Carolina State University Libraries Box 7111 Raleigh, NC 27695-7111 919/ 513-0364 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 4:44 PM, Doug Poswencyk <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > What is porn? Russ Meyer is certainly not porn. Some of his films > such as "Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill." are considered works of art. > They have been screened at many art cinemas and are part of the > permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. The same could be > said about the films of Radley Metzger who just had a retrospective of his > work at Lincoln Center. > Then there are the early films of Fred Halsted. Hardcore sex, yes. > But also art. They too are part of the MOMA collection. Meyer's films > feature large breasted women but these women are always strong and > usually have it over the guys. His films can also be violent but in > the end good always triumphs. i think to not include these films is > nothing more than pure censorship. > > On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 2:10 PM, Stanton, Kim > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > >> We have purchased a few items per faculty request for instruction/ >> scholarly research. >> >> >> The only issue we have had (and just once) was someone checking out >> an item without understanding what it was. We now prominently add a >> note to our public catalog record that prominently says "Adult >> content, graphic sex." or whatever is appropriate. Other than that, >> these items are treated like all other materials in the collection. >> We have closed stacks, but circulate for use outside of the library. >> >> >> Good luck, ? >> >> >> Kim Stanton >> >> Head, Media Library >> >> University of North Texas >> >> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* >> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >> < >> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> >> on behalf of Gisele Genevieve >> Tanasse <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> >> *Sent:* Friday, November 14, 2014 2:16 PM >> *To:* [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [Videolib] pornographic films in the Library collection? >> >> I have purchased porn in response to instructional requests (most of >> which have come from our Gender and Women's Studies department). I >> have even repaired a pornographic VHS tape for an instructor. >> >> Much like racist cartoons, Nazi propaganda and most reality TV, >> inclusion of porn in the library collection should not be interpreted >> as a stamp of approval on the content. I recommend giving a courtesy >> head's up to your acquisitions/tech services staff and be sure you >> are ready to respond, citing intellectual freedom/instructional >> freedom, to any complainers. You might also consider letting whoever >> you report to know in advance, so they are also prepared in case you >> do receive a complaint. If you have viewing stations, I would >> recommend working with your staff to identify the best location to >> seat someone studying porn in order to reduce the likelihood of catching a >> passerby off guard. >> >> I had similar concerns to yours, but we have not had a single >> problem or complaint-- and the weird suggestions on our amazon >> account cleared out quickly :) >> >> Gisele >> >> Gis?le Tanasse >> >> Head, Media Resources Center >> >> 150 Moffitt Library #6000 >> University of California >> Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 >> PH: 510-642-8197 >> BCAL: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >> NOTE: PART TIME SCHEDULE Monday-Thurs 8AM-2PM >> >> On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 11:18 AM, Maureen Tripp < >> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >>> A faculty member is planning a new class for the spring--Sex in the >>> Media. Guess who gets to order his new, pornographic DVDs? So . . >>> . my question for academic media librarians out there--do you >>> include materials like Behind the Green Door, Vintage Stage Films of >>> the 40's and 50's and Russ Meyers' Abundant Beginnings (collection) in your >>> catalogs? >>> Apart from my general squeamishness, I wonder if having these titles >>> in the collection might be disturbing to other students who find >>> them demeaning to women, or perhaps even perceive them as warranting >>> trigger warnings. >>> So . . . does anyone include porn in their collection? If yes, >>> under what circumstances, and do you treat them any differently than >>> any other collection item? >>> thanks, >>> Maureen >>> >>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >>> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >>> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >>> is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >>> video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >>> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >>> >> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >> is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >> video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >> >> > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, > acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current > and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It > is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for > video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between > libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment scrubbed and removed. HTML attachments are only available in MIME digests. ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 11:45:24 -0500 From: Doug Poswencyk <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [Videolib] pornographic films in the Library collection? To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Message-ID: <CADRP2wyyZauPb=0qkk7yzvwbj3mvtusfdp2qvaxzf6--t3c...@mail.gmail.com<mailto:CADRP2wyyZauPb=0qkk7yzvwbj3mvtusfdp2qvaxzf6--t3c...@mail.gmail.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" What was the film? What kind of university was it? A Catholic one? What does extremely hardcore pornographic mean? I can see people worried about a public library (and I think that isn't good librarianship anyway) but a college? This is pure censorship and not good librarianship. Sorry to sound so harsh but this puritanical approach really burns my ass. it is our job to get materials to the people we serve. And not just the majority or what the majority thinks we should provide. I think you are dead wrong Darby. On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 10:58 AM, Darby Orcutt <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > Maureen, > Like many things, this comes down to very local and > context-driven decision-making, in which you need to balance a LOT of > considerations. I faced a request more than a decade ago for an > extremely hardcore pornographic film that, after careful > consideration, I declined. The faculty member was pleased with the > thoughtfulness and fairness of the process, and agreed with the > ultimate rationale. As I recall, some of the important factors were: > -This was a single film for a single course, and therefore not related > to a major part of our curriculum. > -Legally, we would need to prevent circulation to/viewing by minors. > Since many of our freshmen enter at age 17 (or even younger), and we > have no "user type" or such in our catalog system that distinguishes > these students, we would not be easily (if at all) able to ensure our > compliance with the law. (If you haven't checked your state's laws in > this regard, you will want to do so. This may clear up the question of > "what is porn?" as well as how you would need to deal with certain > materials.) -We are a state institution. We would wish politically to > tread carefully when adding materials of this type (and certainly not > use state-appropriated, taxpayer-funded monies with which to do this). > While we could perhaps devise a way of limiting use to those 18 > years old & above, creating a special collection, workflow, and > processes unlike those for any of our other content, the cost (and > potential consequences of > error) would be great. My final decision was therefore based on cost - > not of the material, per se, but overall cost of providing the access. > Just as I might deny a request for a DVD that costs, say, $3,000, I > turned down this request. > Again, the faculty agreed with this line of thinking. Had my > university been starting a major new program in Porn Studies, well, > the costs and risks might have seemed reasonable. Like I said, these > are always local and contextualized decisions. > I hope this helps. > Best, > Darby > > Darby Orcutt > > Assistant Head, Collection Management Department > > Chair, Humanities & Social Sciences Subject Team > > North Carolina State University Libraries > > Box 7111 > > Raleigh, NC 27695-7111 > > 919/ 513-0364 > > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > > > On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 4:44 PM, Doug Poswencyk > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> > wrote: > >> What is porn? Russ Meyer is certainly not porn. Some of his films >> such as "Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill." are considered works of art. >> They have been screened at many art cinemas and are part of the >> permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. The same could be >> said about the films of Radley Metzger who just had a retrospective of his >> work at Lincoln Center. >> Then there are the early films of Fred Halsted. Hardcore sex, yes. >> But also art. They too are part of the MOMA collection. Meyer's >> films feature large breasted women but these women are always strong >> and usually have it over the guys. His films can also be violent but >> in the end good always triumphs. i think to not include these films >> is nothing more than pure censorship. >> >> On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 2:10 PM, Stanton, Kim >> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> >> wrote: >> >>> We have purchased a few items per faculty request for instruction/ >>> scholarly research. >>> >>> >>> The only issue we have had (and just once) was someone checking >>> out an item without understanding what it was. We now prominently >>> add a note to our public catalog record that prominently says "Adult >>> content, graphic sex." or whatever is appropriate. Other than that, >>> these items are treated like all other materials in the collection. >>> We have closed stacks, but circulate for use outside of the library. >>> >>> >>> Good luck, ? >>> >>> >>> Kim Stanton >>> >>> Head, Media Library >>> >>> University of North Texas >>> >>> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >>> >>> ------------------------------ >>> *From:* >>> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >>> < >>> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> >>> on behalf of Gisele Genevieve >>> Tanasse >>> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> >>> *Sent:* Friday, November 14, 2014 2:16 PM >>> *To:* [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >>> *Subject:* Re: [Videolib] pornographic films in the Library collection? >>> >>> I have purchased porn in response to instructional requests (most >>> of which have come from our Gender and Women's Studies department). >>> I have even repaired a pornographic VHS tape for an instructor. >>> >>> Much like racist cartoons, Nazi propaganda and most reality TV, >>> inclusion of porn in the library collection should not be >>> interpreted as a stamp of approval on the content. I recommend >>> giving a courtesy head's up to your acquisitions/tech services staff >>> and be sure you are ready to respond, citing intellectual >>> freedom/instructional freedom, to any complainers. You might also >>> consider letting whoever you report to know in advance, so they are >>> also prepared in case you do receive a complaint. If you have >>> viewing stations, I would recommend working with your staff to >>> identify the best location to seat someone studying porn in order to reduce >>> the likelihood of catching a passerby off guard. >>> >>> I had similar concerns to yours, but we have not had a single >>> problem or complaint-- and the weird suggestions on our amazon >>> account cleared out quickly :) >>> >>> Gisele >>> >>> Gis?le Tanasse >>> >>> Head, Media Resources Center >>> >>> 150 Moffitt Library #6000 >>> University of California >>> Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 >>> PH: 510-642-8197 >>> BCAL: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >>> NOTE: PART TIME SCHEDULE Monday-Thurs 8AM-2PM >>> >>> On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 11:18 AM, Maureen Tripp < >>> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>> >>>> A faculty member is planning a new class for the spring--Sex in the >>>> Media. Guess who gets to order his new, pornographic DVDs? So . . >>>> . my question for academic media librarians out there--do you >>>> include materials like Behind the Green Door, Vintage Stage Films >>>> of the 40's and 50's and Russ Meyers' Abundant Beginnings (collection) in >>>> your catalogs? >>>> Apart from my general squeamishness, I wonder if having these >>>> titles in the collection might be disturbing to other students who >>>> find them demeaning to women, or perhaps even perceive them as >>>> warranting trigger warnings. >>>> So . . . does anyone include porn in their collection? If yes, >>>> under what circumstances, and do you treat them any differently >>>> than any other collection item? >>>> thanks, >>>> Maureen >>>> >>>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion >>>> of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >>>> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >>>> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. >>>> It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool >>>> for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >>>> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >>>> >>> >>> >>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >>> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >>> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >>> is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >>> video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >>> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >>> >>> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >> is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >> video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. >> >> > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, > acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current > and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It > is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for > video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between > libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment scrubbed and removed. HTML attachments are only available in MIME digests. End of videolib Digest, Vol 84, Issue 16 ****************************************
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
