I Was a Stripper Librarian: From Cardigans to G-strings

Review\n"Overall, Cooper is extremely clever and insightful. A much needed activist for the rights of sex workers and librarians." -- Goodreads Reviewer\n"I Was a Stripper Librarian blew my mind. I learned so much about two worlds that I considered polar opposites." -- Goodreads Reviewer\n"As a former burlesque performer and professional librarian, I really enjoyed reading this biography and can't wait to recommend to every librarian and/or dancer I know!" -- Goodreads Reviewer\n"Wow. What a refreshing, interesting and well written memoir." -- Goodreads Reviewer\n"Kristy Cooper shows the side of sex work and stripping that is a personal choice. She does a good job of reducing the stigma of sex workers." -- Goodreads Reviewer\n"Surprisingly, Librarians and Sex Workers have a lot in common. I Was a Stripper Librarian blew my mind." -- Goodreads Reviewer\nNo one at the library she worked at knew about Kristy Cooper's other job.\nOn the surface, it seemed that being a librarian and a stripper are polar opposite jobs, but in practice Kristy found that they were not nearly as different as most people would think. Strip club customers and library patrons both produce wild stories, and you have to be good at working with people in both professions (whether your clothes are off or not).\nIn this first-hand account, Kristy describes her decision to get into stripping to make her student loan debt more manageable, overcome her introversion to learn how to hustle customers, learn about sex worker advocacy, and finally transition into full-time library work. For years Kristy hid her stripping history to fit into the mold of a respectable librarian, but as time went on, she realized this wasn't something she should feel ashamed about. Telling these kinds of stories helps destigmatize sex work, which makes it safer for current sex workers.\nLibrarianship is changing, especially as the profession begins to evaluate itself through a greater anti-oppression lens. Through her unique experiences, Kristy learned that librarians can gain a lot of insight about class struggle and privacy advocacy from sex workers.