One of the oft-cited examples of the stereotypical librarian is to be an old spinster cat-loving lady in an old linty cardigan sweater, with her grey hair all done up in a tight bun and wrinkled eyes hidden behind wire-framed glasses… just sitting around waiting to SHUSH anyone who dared make a noise in the sacred halls of the library, lest any of the dusty tomes be disturbed.
Apparently, this is a misnomer, as LIBRARIANS LIKE TO HAVE SEX AT WORK.
Or, at least they did back in 1992 when Will Manly conducted a survey of 5,000 US librarians. Manly says that he submitted the survey results to the Wilson Library Bulletin back then, but they refused to run it. The journal has since gone defunct, freeing Manly to release his survey results himself.
Here’s some of the things the survey showed:
- 20% of librarians surveyed have had some sort of sexual relations in the stacks at work. (Web Watch will refrain from making any “Dewey” Decimal System jokes here…)
- 61% admitted to renting X-rated films
- 51% were willing to pose nude for money
- 22% believed condom dispensers at the library would be a good thing
- 14% had been sexually harassed by a patron