Does its job
Several changes were made to ameliorate some of the things I was complaining about.
The app developer can’t control some of the annoying behavior that the Noble library web page forces on the app.
I wish there were more control and maybe more features, but mobile apps do need to be simple, so I get that.
I appreciate that the developer took the time to compose a thoughtful and helpful reply.
Response from developer
Oct 11 2025 update: This feature was added in 4.0.0! Thanks again for the good suggestion. Thank you for the detailed review! I agree, the search should be sticky to the app but there is a way you can fix it in the meanwhile: go to https://evergreen.noblenet.org/eg/opac/myopac/prefs_settings , set your "preferred library" to "NOBLE (All Libraries)" then Save. The next time you start the app it should now default to searching all libraries. I know this is a pain. As to why you need to login so often I am stumped. It's not a security decision made by the app; the server controls how long the auth token is valid, and this is under control of the network IT staff. The app is not dumbed down, it is intentionally built from the ground up with only those features we felt necessary and useful for a mobile experience. You might notice it is substantially faster than using the website, and this conserves not only time but mobile data. If you have specific features you want, or want to discuss further, reach us at kenstir.apps@gmail.com.
Does the minimum required, but not well
This in itself would be pretty minor, but when you add on the fact that the search function is not “sticky” (ie remembers my last search settings), its a real pain.
When I am searching for a book or video, I’m not usually interested in looking only at my library, I’m interested in the whole network, and I usually search by title or author, and then finally, I often narrow the search to either books or videos.
So now almost every time I use this app, I have to do the following before I can get going:
Back out of yesterday’s search and tap “Hold” to force a relogin.
Tap search, and re-enter that I want search by
title,
limit to, and
search within,
…and finally, I’m back to where I left off and I can finally do some new.
I suspect this app depends on the web interface to do its thing, so it is stuck doing the relogin, if that is truly not the reason, then stop it. On my phone, I am not re-authenticating anyway, and really? Is my library account security that important?
Make the search settings sticky to the app, and/or the account (sticky to app would be better)
I find the app is pretty dumbed down, and has nowhere near the flexibility and richness of data available from the webpage. That is a disappointment, but probably necessary to balance easy of use vs. features. Oh well, but and expert mode or advanced option would be nice.
Response from developer
Thank you for the detailed review! I agree, the search should be sticky to the app but there is a way you can fix it in the meanwhile: go to https://evergreen.noblenet.org/eg/opac/myopac/prefs_settings , set your "preferred library" to "NOBLE (All Libraries)" then Save. The next time you start the app it should now default to searching all libraries. I know this is a pain. As to why you need to login so often I am stumped. It's not a security decision made by the app; the server controls how long the auth token is valid, and this is under control of the network IT staff. The app is not dumbed down, it is intentionally built from the ground up with only those features we felt necessary and useful for a mobile experience. You might notice it is substantially faster than using the website, and this conserves not only time but mobile data. If you have specific features you want, or want to discuss further, reach us at kenstir.apps@gmail.com.
Messed up and need to change my ID
Response from developer
Sorry it took so long to respond. You can set a username for your account here: https://evergreen.noblenet.org/eg/opac/myopac/prefs . You also could ask the staff at your local library :)
