Looking For `Sex'? Try The County Library -- But Madonna Book Can't Be Checked Out

Psst, wanna see some "Sex"?

Even if you hate Madonna and her music, maybe you're just a little curious about "Sex," the controversial picture book featuring what the pop icon says are her sexual fantasies.

Of course, you don't actually want to buy "Sex." (It retails for $49.95.) You just want to see it. And soon that's exactly what you'll be able to do.

By the end of the week, three copies of Madonna's book will be available for perusal in the King County Library system.

"Sex" will not be out on the shelves or available for check out, however. It is being classified as a . . . um . . . reference book, meaning those interested in looking at it will have to do so in the library.

Seattle and Pierce County libraries are also considering purchasing the book, which includes glossy photos of a nude or scantily clad Madonna posing with - to cite a couple of examples - an elderly man, a dog and other women.

The King County Library's copies will be kept in the main reference center in Seattle to protect them from theft or damage.

"With the metal cover and spiral binding, `Sex' is unwieldy, hard to handle and likely to fall apart," said Jeanne Thorsen, spokeswoman for the library. "That's why we decided to make it reference material."

King County Library Director Bill Ptacek said the book would most likely not be classified as reference material if it were less fragile, but that it would not be out on the shelves, either, because of the intense demand.

As of Friday, the library had received more than 30 requests for "Sex," said Ptacek.

Staff members also received about a dozen calls from people objecting to the library's purchase.

"If ("Sex") was judged legally obscene, we'd remove it," Thorsen said. "We serve over 900,000 people in our service area. The public has diverse interests."

Ptacek said many local bookstores were sold out of the book, which may have triggered some of the requests to the library.

"Sex" will be kept with other reference materials, including government documents, art and medical books. It can be requested by anyone with a library card at any of the system's 37 branch libraries. The book will then be sent to the library for a one-day viewing. It will not be listed in the library's computer catalog.

Thorsen said library staff members won't impose age restrictions.

"We support parents' discretion in monitoring appropriate reading, viewing or listening material for their children," she said. "Those who want to see the book will have to come into the library and request it," she added, making it a little more difficult to get access to the book.

Staff requested three copies last Thursday after viewing the book and finding that it met the library's criteria for purchase.

Those criteria include popular demand, the artist's, author's or publisher's established reputation and the presentation of a unique or controversial point of view.