Why do I get incorrect or outdated hours or address when I search for Valley Center Library (or other organizations) on my smart phone or other device?

Valley Center Public Library Posted on by

Why do I get incorrect or outdated hours or address when I search for Valley Center Library (or any other organization or business) on my smart phone or other device?

Here are the two biggest reasons:

  1. Search engines – organizations have no control over what search engine someone (or their device) is using, along with what search terms are used. Search engines also use different algorithms but they do not share that type of information. Places like MapQuest have crawlers that are pulling hours for businesses but we don’t know where they’re pulling from or how often they refresh the information.
  2. AI – AI is being used to scan and replicate data in different places. It is often wrong data and tracking down who put it up can be hard to impossible. And then, these organizations would need to have the staff and ability (and willingness) to correct the data that needs fixing. Finally, there’s the combo of AI and search engines, which is a recipe for unreliable results.

Another possible issue is that some websites allow people to update hours and they don’t always have a solid policy on checking to make sure that the person who is updating the hours has the authority to do so. There are recent stories about more than one organization railing against persons who were maliciously changing hours for businesses.

VCPL apologizes if you are ever misdirected about our library hours, location, services, or other information. This does happen sometimes and we know it is frustrating.

To avoid this problem, please always try to refer to our website  https://valleycenterlibrary.org/ or to our Facebook page Valley Center Public Library for the most accurate hours and information.

If you DO find inaccurate information on our website or Facebook page, please tell us!! We strive to be as accurate as possible.

Also, if you are misdirected, if possible please let us know where you found the misinformation so we can attempt to replicate the search and ask the source in question to correct the misinformation (as we have been trying to do whenever possible).

Misinformation on the Internet is rampant and it is a real problem for everyone.  We work hard to keep our information accurate and combat misinformation wherever possible.  We appreciate your keeping us informed when you see misinformation about the Valley Center Public Library!

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