You hair will definitely keep it's curl when short. Make sure you go to a stylist you trust! You might not be able to go quite as short as you'd hoped, but still get a change you'll be happy with.
Whether you cut your hair or not, it's a good idea to get better acquainted with your hair's properties (porosity, texture, etc). Check out:
Live Curly Live Free - Curly Hair Basics It'll take some experimenting to figure out what products and techniques work best for your hair, but it'll save you a lot of time and stress later! Good luck.