Library experience will never be the same again for the students of Dayap National High School in Barangay Dayap, Calauan, Laguna with the installation of the Super STARBOOKS in their campus. What makes their enhanced library experience more meaningful is their school being named the 1000th site of STARBOOKS.
STARBOOKS is the first digital science library-in-a-box in the country. It stands for Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station developed by the Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), an agency of the Department of Science and Technology.
Because it can be used offline and contains rich materials in science and technology and even livelihood, STARBOOKS has been widely requested and installed all over the country since its launch in 2011.
Now going on its 1000th site which happens to be in said rural area in Laguna province, the stand-alone library shall have its enhanced version called Super STARBOOKS mark the historic site.
DOST Secretary Fortunato T. De La Peña will lead local officials of Calauan town, the Department of Education and DOSTon September 23 in unveiling the marker for the 1000th site of STARBOOKS.
The unveiling shall be participated in by Calauan Mayor Buenafrido T. Berris, DOST Assistant Secretary for Countryside Development Dr. Urduja A. Tejada, DOST Region IV-A Director Dr. Alexander R. Madrigal, DOST-STII Director Richard P. Burgos, DepEd Superintendent Dr. Joselyn S. Solana, Dayap National High School OIC and DepEd Supervisor Dr. Florentina C. Rancap, and Provincial S&T Center-Laguna Director Engr. Samuel L. Caperina.
The first generation STARBOOKS that started in 2011 was a user-friendly information portal that can be accessed without Internet connection. It contained local and foreign S&T resource materials in text, video, and audio formats, journals, technology materials, and livelihood videos. The materials covered a diverse range of topics, from food and nutrition, health and medicine and energy to environment and climate change, livelihood projects, and many others.
Now, the upgraded version called the Super STARBOOKS to be housed inside the Dayap National High School will have four terminal to serve more students.Along with the original content, it also has about 20,000 or more materials of the Tamang DOSTKarte Livelihoodseries ideal for students, professionals, and housewives with entrepreneurial spirit. There are also120 full-length livelihood “how-to” videos on income-generating projects like longganisa andchicharon making,and candle making,among others.
Super STARBOOKS is now being deployed nationwide in different schools (public and private), municipal libraries, government offices and other institutions for free. Partner-proponents just have to provide thecomputers and kiosks while STII takescare of the content, upgrading of the uits,and training of librarians.
In its initial salvo after it was launched, STARBOOKS units were installed at the STII, DOST Region XI, and DOST Region IX offices, and Zamboanga City High School. By 2014, the number rose to 363 kiosks. By the end of 2015 a phenomenal leap was recorded with more than 600 kiosks installed in different regions across the country, benefitting hundreds of thousands of students in far-flung areas where internet access is limited if not totally nil.
Recently, the 998th and 999th STARBOOKS units were deployed at the San Jose West Central School and Bagong Sikat Elementary School, both in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.
With its unprecedented success, STARBOOKS continues to make waves in different places in the country as it tries to reach more schools infar-flung areas across rivers and mountains thus empowering students in the countryside using science and technology.The Super STARBOOKS version is available online and a mobile application is already being developed to make it more accessible.
Because of the novelty of STARBOOKS it was awarded the American Library Association Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects last June 29, 2015 at the International Librarians Reception at the San Francisco Library in San Francisco, California.
For more information about STARBOOKS, email all inquiries to 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. or call telephone numbers (632) 837-2071 local 2135, (632) 837-2191 to 95 local 105/106, (632) 837-2071 local 2130. (Rodolfo P. de Guzman, S&T Media Service)
