A soon to be established library hub in San Jose West Central School in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija will have STARBOOKS among its array of features and facilities that will provide elementary and high school students in the city with different types of advanced reading and learning materials.

STARBOOKS, or Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks, was developed by the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII). It is the first digital science library in the country, containing tons of information on science, mathematics, and technology in text, audio, and video formats. It does not require Internet connection in order to be accessed.

During the launching and installation of two STARBOOKS in the school last December 15, 2015, Department of Education (DedEd) Schools Division Superintendent Teresa D. Mababa said that STARBOOKS will certainly be one of the main attractions of the library hub.

“The arrival of STARBOOKS comes at the perfect time for the teachers and students in San Jose City,” she said. “Most of the books and other reference materials in our libraries had been wiped out by recent typhoons. Additional to that, most of the time, we have been experiencing unreliable internet connection.”

Meanwhile, San Jose City Mayor Marivic V. Belena said that STARBOOKS is an innovation on education that she really welcomes because it gives their teachers and students opportunities to learn more about science and technology, without requiring the local government to spend too much money.

“Definitely, STARBOOKS will provide a further boost to our program in education which is my top priority. STARBOOKS offers materials and technology that will help the officials and project implementers in our city to build a sustainable and effective learning environment for our residents. Aside from that, gaining more knowledge on science and technology could be an important ingredient in inclusive development,” she added.

Also held during the launching was the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement  between DOST-STII, DOST-Region III, and DepEd’s division office in San Jose City.

STII has deployed 792 STARBOOKS all over the Philippines since 2011. In July 2015, STARBOOKS received the Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects by the American Library Association. STARBOOKS was also featured during the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair last October 30-November 1, 2015.

For more information about STARBOOKS and how to avail it, send an email via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or call 837-2071 to 85.

(From right) DOST-STII representative Susana O. Abada and officials from the Department of Education office in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, headed by Schools Division Superintendent Teresa D. Mababa, Education Program Supervisor Dr. Sheralyn M. Alias, and  Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Dante G. Parungao, sign the Memorandum of Understanding at San Jose West Central School.  (Text and photo by Allan Mauro V. Marfal, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII).


Lloyd Frederick Mandapat of DOST-STII trains DepEd staff in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija on how to use and operate STARBOOKS. (Text and photo by Allan Mauro V. Marfal, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)