Students of University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) in Las Piñas City now have a modern, up-to-date, and comprehensive reference tool for their science and technology (S&T) projects and reports with the unveiling of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) STARBOOKS unit last February 3, 2015 at the UPSHD high school library.

A flagship project of DOST’s Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), STARBOOKS stands for Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk,  a user-friendly digital library of science and technology (S&T) information which does not require Internet connection.  It is the first science digital library in the Philippines.

STARBOOKS contains S&T information in various formats – text, video, and audio – from local and international sources.  

Among its contents is Britannica Ultimate Encyclopaedia which features Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica World Atlas, Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus, e-magazines, fiction and non-fiction books, and royalty-free photos, drawings, and videos.

Also available in STARBOOKS are videos on livelihood for individuals seeking business opportunities, journals, and investigatory materials.  

“STARBOOKS is STII’s way of bringing (DOST-STII library’s) science collection closer to the students,” said STARBOOKS focal person Louise Ian de los Reyes of DOST-STII in her presentation during the launch.

The DOST-STII library collection has around 80,000 titles in print and non-print formats covering a vast range of S&T fields – from chemistry, physics, and math to computer science and information technology.

University Librarian Aniline A. Vidal decided to have STARBOOKS installed after seeing one such unit at a university in Davao. “I found it interesting. I told myself I will avail STARBOOKS to have additional resources for the students and the faculty. The more collection you have, the more it will cater to the needs of the students,” she said.

“It is also customizable,” de los Reyes added.  This means that the contents of UPHSD’s own library may be digitized and added to the collection in their STARBOOKS unit.

STARBOOKS is also useful for scientists, technopreneurs, S&T professionals, and science buffs. Aside from academic institutions, also identified as STARBOOKS sites are government offices, NGOs, and LGUs.  At present, STARBOOKS kiosks are already available in various sites across the country’s 17 regions.

For more information about STARBOOKS, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  (S&T Media Service)  

STARBOOKS MAKES ITS WAY TO UPHSD. High school students at the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD)  in Pamplona, Las Piñas City excitedly try their library’s newly installed STARBOOKS unit from the Department of Science and Technology - Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) during the launching last February 3, 2015.  STARBOOKS (Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk)  is a user-friendly stand-alone digital library of science and technology (S&T) materials in text, video, and audio formats. These include Britannica Ultimate Encyclopedia which features, among others, reference materials, e-magazines, fiction and non-fiction books, and royalty-free photos, drawings, and videos. STARBOOKS does not require Internet connection and provides students, scientists, technopreneurs, S&T professionals, and science buffs with a complete and updated research tool. For more information about STARBOOKS, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  (S&T Media Service)