# Publishing a public library's general contact info is doxxing now? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 21, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924 "2025-03-21T17:40:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/1 "2025-03-21T17:40:04Z")
[Thread in question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secret-ban-carl-hiaasen-unavailable/1015847) I know, this is not a big deal. But it is still bothering me, and I think I can explain why: **the information I published was NOT personal contact info for anybody.** It was simply the general number/website/email/fax number . for the Wolfner Library: > [@Secret ban--Carl Hiaasen unavailable](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secret-ban-carl-hiaasen-unavailable/1015847/6): > > …Wolfner Memorial Library. But I bet **if you call them** , they can point you in the right direction. Why putting a public library’s easily googled contact information constitutes doxxing, I really don’t understand. You want to un-dox somebody in the post I made, then take the person’s name out. That’s literally the only bit of “personal” information in there (and if that’s doxxing, then so is revealing the name of the Governor of Missouri). Sorry to sound cranky. I have nothing but respect for @What_Exit . But I do think posts should be read a little more carefully before inaccurately accusing someone of doxxing. I’d never do that. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/2 "2025-03-21T17:44:21Z")
You weren’t accused of doxing though. Please reread what I wrote. > [@Secret ban--Carl Hiaasen unavailable](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secret-ban-carl-hiaasen-unavailable/1015847/32): > > Moderating: This basically doesn’t feel right, PMing the poster with the info is one thing, but posting it in thread seems like too much. Not quite Doxing of course, but close, more of a call to action, but barely. But not something to be encouraged for sure. I’ll remove the contact information. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/3 "2025-03-21T19:18:07Z")
Okay, but if you weren’t saying that what I was doing was practically doxxing, why di you mention doxxing? I see that your removal can be read as being done because it was a “call to action” but getting accurate information on whether or not a book is available doesn’t seem like that either. Anyway, never mind - modding is a thankless task, and if you think I was breaking the rules, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/4 "2025-03-21T19:27:02Z")
I don’t agree that helping a poster, who complained of not beeing able to find a book, by providing the public contact resource at his library, is a “call to action,” but as @CairoCarol says, I’m not a mod. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/5 "2025-03-21T19:40:19Z")
IANAmod. Either. But it’s neither _doxxing_ or a _call to action_ Simply _it doesn’t feel right_ to a Mod. Ok. A mod has discretionary powers. It’s still wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/6 "2025-03-21T19:46:36Z")
I don’t see anything in the post that doesn’t meet the exact definition of providing helpful information to the OP. Even if it was just a note, the action has no justification. It’s admittedly moot since the problem seems to have been a spelling error on the OP’s part. Doesn’t make it any righter in retrospect. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/7 "2025-03-21T19:52:04Z")
I completely agree that the information provided was perfectly fine. These are public positions. This info is available on city websites. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/8 "2025-03-21T21:08:52Z")
I also see absolutely nothing wrong with the information **CairoCarol** provided. It’s publicly available information for how to contact a person in a government position. There was no implication that anyone other than the OP should contact that person either. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/9 "2025-03-21T21:11:31Z")
The flag that came in was for doxxing. I didn’t think it was. I do feel it isn’t quite within normal SDMB parameters to allow posting a person’s contact and was probably better via a PM. But this is a fuzzy area at best. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/10 "2025-03-21T21:23:55Z")
I reported your post to ask that the contact information you provided be removed. I stopped posting on the SDMB years ago, but do still lurk off and on. Since I consider you a respectable poster and you’re obviously upset about this, I am de-lurking long enough to explain why. Here is the text I provided when I flagged your post: _I’m not sure this is “doxxing” since it’s the professional contact info for a public official, but it seems questionable to post someone’s phone, fax, and email and tell people to contact them about an alleged politically motivated book ban when there doesn’t appear to have actually been a book ban at all and it’s not clear this would be the right official to contact in any event._ This hadn’t been established when you made your post, but by the time I saw the thread then **Max\_S** had shown that Carl Hiaasen’s books were readily available through the St. Louis public library system. The OP of the other thread, **fedman1** , was apparently mistaken when he said they were not, and leaped to the conclusion that this was a secret MAGA book ban. A quick Google also indicated that [Wolfner Library](https://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner) is not in St. Louis (they’re in Jefferson City) and is not a typical public library but instead provides audiobooks and braille books to blind patrons throughout the state. They presumably would not have special knowledge of secret book bans, nor would they be able to do much to help **fedman1** get ahold of a print copy of the book in St. Louis. I guess the Missouri State Librarian might know about secret book bans, but again, there was never any evidence that such a ban had occurred. (The person you named as being the current Missouri State Librarian also seems to have recently left this role.) It was just **fedman1** ’s WAG for why he couldn’t find the book he wanted. If he needed assistance with finding a book, the place to start would be the staff at his local public library. Things are difficult in the library world right now, and I didn’t think it was helpful or appropriate to encourage people to go to the Missouri State Librarian or a library that provides materials to the blind with complaints about an imaginary book ban or even just basic questions about searching the catalog and placing Interlibrary Loan requests. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/11 "2025-03-21T21:28:39Z")
I’m of many minds. I agree with @What_Exit that it’s a fuzzy line, not quite fish or fowl. I also agree that it feels _more_ like a call to action than doxxing (exactly as stated) but that it’s just short of the former, and not the latter as again it’s publicly available information. I think at _worst_ W\_E was acting from an abundance of caution, because it did worry me a bit, and apparently whomever flagged it as well. In the context of the current political climate, sad to say, I think an abundance of caution is probably worthwhile. If I were looking for a compromise (in perfect hindsight granted!) , I would have maybe included a link to Wolfner’s Memorial Library public contact information and left it to the reader to go the extra step, but I fully acknowledge that’s just making it something of a two-click rule. So, TL;DR - I don’t think anyone here is wrong, the OP, the mods, or the commentators, just we’re in a really weird place right now. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/12 "2025-03-21T21:36:03Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > it seems questionable to post someone’s phone, fax, and email and tell people to contact them about an alleged politically motivated book ban when there doesn’t appear to have actually been a book ban I did NOT post “someone’s phone, fax, and email” - I posted Wolfner Library’s general contact info. I did NOT say anything about political motivation or jump on board with book-ban indignation. The thrust of my post was “if you want to know if this book/author has been removed from the Missouri public library system or not, the State Librarian will know.” > [@Lamia](#): > > I didn’t think it was helpful or appropriate to encourage people to go to the Missouri State Librarian First, I didn’t think that the OP was likely to end up haranguing the MSL herself - but her _office_ should be more than happy to address public concerns. (Just as “why don’t you call your Congressperson?” doesn’t mean you should get that _specific_ individual on the phone.) I made it clear that I wasn’t sure Wolfner was even the right institution to talk to, but said (and I’m sure this is true) that they would no doubt point the OP in the right direction. If your beef was with the idea that my post created unnecessary and inappropriate work for an overworked librarian, you could just say so, rather than set up a situation where it was implied that I would dox or initiate an unpermitted call to action. I did neither of those things. Based on my own experience, I find library folks to be eager to help on anything book-related, so I’m not sure I agree that it would be wrong to contact them about book availability, even if it turns out the question was a little misplaced. I’ve had wonderful experiences in my state with our State Librarian and various library personnel - never once have I been made to feel like an annoyance.\* One hopes the librarians of Missouri are similarly interested in helping the book-loving public. \*In all fairness, I’ve heard it told that there was once a librarian, years ago, in the UH Manoa library system who was very grouchy to anyone who asked for materials from the music archives. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2025, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/13 "2025-03-21T21:46:46Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > But this is a fuzzy area at best. And I’d like to be clear, I’m not especially irked, nor do I feel that moderators should be pilloried for assessing matters in a way many rational posters disagree with. Sometimes I’m just amused by the opportunity to distract myself with a topic that has all the import of which way the toilet paper roll is hung. It beats fuming about world affairs 100% of the time, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2025, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/14 "2025-03-22T06:47:40Z")
I don’t feel like this is a fuzzy area at all. This is not personal info, it’s institutional info. Publicly available institutional info. Publicly available institutional info pertinent to the thread in question. Bad call. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/15 "2025-03-22T17:22:44Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > But this is a fuzzy area at best. Honestly, no. There are seldom bright, clear lines in modsworld, but this is about as close as you get. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/16 "2025-03-22T17:28:53Z")
I’m not seeing a problem either. The library posts a general phone number on the web, so that people who want to access their services can call them. The whole point of the library doing so is to help people get in touch with them. Anyone with an internet connection can get that general telephone number. That’s why the library posted it. Why is there a problem with posting it here, to help a person get in touch with the library? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/17 "2025-03-23T00:05:19Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > You weren’t accused of doxing though. > > Please reread what I wrote. I see your point. Does a library- who likely didnt make the call- need dozens of angry messages about this? > [@CairoCarol](#): > > I did NOT post “someone’s phone, fax, and email” - I posted Wolfner Library’s general contact info. > > I did NOT say anything about political motivation or jump on board with book-ban indignation. The thrust of my post was “if you want to know if this book/author has been removed from the Missouri public library system or not, the State Librarian will know.” And did you ask? This isnt really doxxing, sure, but it seems like a call to action- and a call when the OP isnt really sure what happened or what is going on. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/18 "2025-03-23T00:10:05Z")
The OP was very insistent about what was going on. Other posters tried to generate alternative explanations and ways to check. Doesn’t look like a call to action to me, but a kind effort to help the OP learn what’s actually going on, which perhaps isn’t that “MAGA followings actually read books, and somehow got his books banned without any notice.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/19 "2025-03-23T00:10:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Does a library- who likely didnt make the call- need dozens of angry messages about this? Particularly if the issue which the OP raised (a stealth book ban) doesn’t appear to be happening, but instead appears to a misunderstanding (and quite possibly a misspelling of the book author’s unusual name) on the part of the OP, as several of us were easily able to locate public website information which indicated that the book and author in question are absolutely still in circulation in the St. Louis public library system. (FWIW, the OP didn’t really weigh back in on their thread, once this was pointed out.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924/20 "2025-03-23T00:13:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Particularly if the issue which the OP raised strongly appears to be a misunderstanding (and quite possibly a misspelling of the book author’s unusual name), as several of us were easily able to locate public website information which indicated that the book and author in question are absolutely still in circulation in the St. Louis public library system. Yep, I concur. Mind you libraries are weird- I went to our small local LA County library. OK, small, but- nothing by RA Heinlein, one lone Asimov, nothing by Rex Stout, etc etc. And mysteries and SF were all under fiction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishing-a-public-librarys-general-contact-info-is-doxxing-now/1015924.md?page=2)