DOST opens Science digital library in island school in Albay

August 16, 2022

by Sally A. Altea

LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY (PIA) – The Department of Science and Technology (S&T) has opened another digital library at San Miguel Island in Tabaco City.

Through the installed computer units or via their mobile phones or gadgets, young learners in remote areas will have easier and faster access to digital Science and Technology materials even without an internet connection.

The Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks (STARBOOKS) of the DOST is the country’s first digital science library. It is a stand-alone information source designed to reach those with limited or no access to S&T information resources.

 

DOST Bicol STARBOOKS Deployment Officer Anthony B. Andes said the project aims to provide contents on Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) to geographically-challenged schools and communities throughout the country.

“STARBOOKS contain numerous digitized S&T resources in various formats (text and video/audio) placed in specially designed “pods” that is set in a user-friendly interface,” Andes said.

At least 1,144 junior and senior high school students and 55 faculty members of San Miguel National High School, where the STARBOOKS are deployed, are set to initially benefit from the said digital library.

Andes said the STARBOOKS for SMNHS was the third for this year, following Ligao City National High School and St. Louie de Marillac College in the province of Sorsogon. A total of 321 units were deployed in the Bicol region since its debut in 2012.

Andes added that another batch of STARBOOKS are set to be deployed to 15 schools in Tabaco City this year.

“The STARBOOKS is one way of elevating the scientific and technology literacy among the students in our school,” SMNHS teacher John Darnell Balbastro said.

 

Balbastro added that wide array of S&T resources in various formats will intensify the curiosity among their young learners, and its offline access will address the unavailability and inaccessibility of S&T learning resources in San Miguel island.

Balbastro was also instrumental in bringing STARBOOKS to the island school through his initiative “Project STARBOOKS: SMNHS’s Library in a Box.”(PIA5/Albay/DOST5)

Source: https://pia.gov.ph/news/2022/08/16/dost-opens-scie...