Sex – and media that depicts sex and sexually suggestive subject matter – remains stigmatised in western society. As pornography and sexually explicit material more broadly have become of increasing interest to researchers across several disciplines such as pornography studies and gender and sexuality studies, so too does the demand on institutions and practitioners in libraries, archives, and special collections to provide access to these materials. However, the taboo associated with the subject matter of these materials introduces unique challenges in establishing and providing access to both researchers and the broader public.  

This project provides an overview of how moral, legal, and practical factors influence access in thought, practice, and policy amongst information professionals and institutions that have sexually explicit and/or pornographic material in their care. Theory and practical guidance for access management attuned to the sociocultural context of sexually explicit and pornographic material is under-represented in library and information science literature. In my research, I have encountered significant difficulty in finding information regarding how practitioners and institutions address the moral, legal, and practical considerations that pornographic and sexually explicit material demand in both application and policy. This research is intended to address this gap.

Using examples, this project provides insight into some of the ways that institutions are addressing the challenges associated with providing access to pornographic and sexually explicit materials in both practice and policy. These ideas are placed in the Canadian context with consideration of both Canadian law – such as the proposed Bill S-210 (44-1) Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act – and sociocultural values. The extent to which these laws and values affect practitioners and institutions is examined by looking at Canadian examples, namely Library and Archives Canada and the Sexual Representation Collection at the University of Toronto’s Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity.  

A key focus of my research is how sociocultural factors affect practitioners’ and institutions’ ability to provide access to sexually explicit and/or pornographic material to researchers and the public. This manifests in several ways, including the ability to provide digital access to certain materials or procuring funding for access-related initiatives. Furthermore, I touch on how cornerstones of library and archival practice meant to facilitate access, such as the reference interview, are further complicated by these materials' unique sociocultural standing.