It’s mind-boggling that the company who made the wonderful Destiny Quest app still has not succeeded in developing a halfway decent library catalog app to replace it. With school libraries as a major client for Follett Destiny and the print collection being a really key part of school libraries, they need a basic app for searching the print collection on iOS. Right now, this app requires logging in and going to a different app tab just to get to the basic search screen, and even then it only searches e-books by default. I understand that they’re a commercial company and really trying to encourage districts to purchase Follett e-books, but they’re failing to provide needed services to many school libraries. It’s too much work for students to log in just to do a quick search, especially younger ones. It is better than the original Destiny Discover app that didn’t remember our school and regularly had the little spinning circle for far too long.
First off I love that patrons can search, checkout, and read all in one app. However, I wish they would’ve included the features the Destiny Discover shortcut has like new releases, popular titles, ebooks, and audiobooks all displayed with book covers. This would certainly help younger readers and readers who are undecided about what they want to check out. As it is, a patron would have to know what they are looking for and type it into the search bar. Also, the app is defaulted to search ebooks, and if the user isn’t aware of this, they will often come back with no results. Patrons that use this new app have to login since there is no option to search as a guest user, which again makes it difficult for younger users. As another reviewer pointed out, there is no option to place titles on hold. It would be helpful for Follett to update existing apps, rather than continue to release new apps, as it is confusing to most users to try and keep up with which app they need to use.
Not sure where to begin with this app. I am glad there are search and digital checkout features. However, no holds for digital or print is disappointing, no browsing features, like the ribbons on the online version, make the app cold and unappealing, and finally, to still need the Read app to listen to audiobooks is extremely frustrating. This app should not have been pushed out to schools until it could provide what students want and need.
This is much better than the version I had been using. Searches quickly and gives me basic information about titles. I use this app on my phone as I’m walking around the library helping students find books. I no longer have that sense of absolute dread that I had before tapping to open the previous “app” which was no more than a shortcut and NEVER worked efficiently or even correctly. I know updates are coming but here’s what it still needs: -Ability to place holds -ability to browse titles or genres - linked authors name in details to find more books by the same author - default to “all materials” rather than “ebooks” It would be nice to have: - ability to access and create lists - ability to edit recently read list (just because I open an ebook doesn’t mean I’ve read it.) Again I’m using this app in the library as a handheld version of Destiny. I don’t expect all of the functionality of the desktop version but adding those suggested features would make the app more useful to librarians and patrons. It seems the developers were going more for an ebook reader vibe. Most of my ebooks and audiobooks are housed on a different platform so my patrons can’t access the content through the Destiny Discover app.
This school librarian has been a Destiny customer for 20+ years. The first thing you guys have got to do to improve this is to hire school librarians to be consultants to get this app right. We have all waited far to long for you guys to get this right. For example, I’m trying to highlight on my book but I can’t if the line is to close to the edges where my finger picks up all the frame toolbars. Really?! It is these little things that keep kids from using these ebooks. Hire the consultants. It is time to make this app a priority for as my principal informed me this year, we don’t need a physical library anymore do we? (Yeah, don’t get me started.)
Thank you for bringing back the Destiny Discover app! It’s working great! I was able to easily and quickly open an ebook I already had checked out AND to find another one, as well as search in the print collection. Many, many thanks for getting this going again just as we’re about to return to school and needing an easy way for students to access our extensive ebook collection without having to read on a computer! ❤️👏🏻😺
As a school librarian and avid audiobook reader, I looked forward to recommending this app to over 2,000 students. I’m glad I tried it out myself first. The app signs me out without warning. When I access the app, there is nothing to show I am signed out. The speed of playback feature is ridiculously bad. The choices are normal, faster, and fastest. I frequently listen on Libby and LibroFM at speeds approaching 1.5. I know what a faster speed should sound like. Destiny Discover’s faster speed sounds like chipmunks. I am really disappointed. Please invest in improving this app.
Please add a hold button sooner rather than later. I will not direct any of my students or staff to download this app until the hold button is in place. I currently do not have ebooks or audiobooks, so until the hold button is added this app is useless to my users.
Idk why there are so many bad reviews I just got the app and it work just like it says it will it can get any books the school has and you can download them to the only problem is that most books are out so I have to have it one hold but they can’t control that
Our children CANNOT seach books based on reading levels nor grade levels. Also, you cannot access books you saved on your "favorites" tab on the online version of this app. WHY??? Also, The favorite button does not appear on this app's tabs or near the cover. So, my kids CANNOT save any favorite books so they can check them out later. FIX THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE!!!
This app is so disappointing. I can’t even search for my school. I select my state and type the name exactly as it appears in Destiny, tap “Continue” and nothing happens. The web version is unstable on iPads (which our students have). Follett’s apps have always been terrible. It makes me wonder how much they care about their customers and patrons.
This map I had to go through security and I did my password over and over and over again but it never worked. This thing is the worst if I could I’d read it as zero but I’m not allowed to. This is the worst worst worst app I’ve ever tried to use sora is way better than this. Just don’t use this. It’s horrible. It will kill you. It’s horrible.
The filter system is crappy, and practically useless. It has like 12 subgenres, no nonfiction option or fantasy, or mystery or any of the larger genres, and each sub genre has less than a dozen books in the category.
When I try to select my school is says unable to process my request :( I can’t even use the app. I will definitely not be promoting this to my HS students until the bugs are worked out.
Can’t even get into the app. When selecting state, then school, I get the message “unable to process request”. Really, Follett? Again? I don’t understand why you can’t develop a good app.
Need to improve holds, book sorting, audiobook speed
No improvements have been made since my review a year ago. This app is terrible!! Seriously Follett, get your act together! 1) you can’t put items on hold via the app 2) audiobook speeds are just stupid… “Faster” and “Fastest” are inaudible 3) How can you have a searching app that doesn’t allow you to sort/filter the results?! There are three main things that need to be fixed in order for this app to be useful: 1) Holds: The patron should have the ability to put both digital and physical materials on hold. 2) Sorting/Filtering/Advanced Search: The patron should be able to organize the results by things like: newly added, popularity, genre, publication date, etc. Additionally, there is no way to do an advanced search! 3) Audiobook playback speed: The playback speeds are generically labeled “slower, normal, faster, fastest” instead of by conventional speeds that other apps use (.75/1.0/1.25/1.5/2.0). The app’s “faster” is probably a 2.0 and the “fastest” is Millennium Falcon hyperspeed. Both of those are useless listening speeds. No one can keep up with listening to those.
This app does not allow ease of access like Destiny Quest did. I have iPads as my catalog stations, and now students will have to use desktops to look at the catalog because this app requires a username and password - not user friendly at all.
As of today, 08/15/2020, there’s no readily apparent way to browse the collection without entering search terms. Instead of offering visually attractive collections (i.e. new arrivals, popular titles, award nominees, etc.), the app forces users to enter a search term (or terms). Also, my library doesn’t use Follett for ebooks, so the default search setting for my patrons needs to be the PRINT collection. Schools rely on apps like this, Follett, so please improve this one asap. My students need to be able to browse our collection and place holds easily. On top of everything else, this app is visually unappealing.
The Follett Destiny Discover® app is your personalized gateway to all of the great content provided by your school’s library. Whether you are a student or teacher looking for leisure reading/entertainment, or materials to support homework or lesson planning, the Destiny Discover app is for you! • Easily find and login to your school library’s catalog of materials. • Search for Follett eBooks provided by your school library. • Read eBooks while you’re online, or download them to your device when you check them out for offline access. • Search for print materials like books in your school library. Please note: your district or school needs appropriate licensing for Destiny® Library Manager (version 18.0 or later) to use this app. When using the Destiny Discover app your server needs to setup to communicate over SSL. If you are hosted with Follett do not worry, we handle this for you. If not and you cannot connect to your school, please contact your librarian, and have them work with the district to change the setting.
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