SAINT Dominic College of Asia in Bacoor, Cavite, is the newest addition to the growing list of academic institutions now equipped with the first digital science library in the Philippines, the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks, or Starbooks, of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Developed by experts from DOST-Science and Technology Information Institute, Starbooks is a stand-alone information source that operates even without the use of the Internet.
It contains thousands of local and foreign science and technology resources in various formats—such as books, journals, scientific and research papers—covering topics on different branches of science. It also includes livelihood videos, Britannica Ultimate Encyclopedia and the new interactive courseware of DOST- Science Education Institute and DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute, among others. “Basically, I am very positive with this collaboration with DOST, about this Starbooks program of yours, because this will widen the information resource material that our students will need in all their studies, researches and their regular academic concerns,” said Dr. Gregorio Andaman Jr., president of Saint Dominic College of Asia.
“I really appreciate this gesture of the government in reaching out even to us private sectors. I highly recommend that the DOST would reach out to more academic institutions…so that everybody can have access to these information.”
The rollout of Starbooks and orientation session recently, attended by the school’s officials, librarians, faculty members and students, was in partnership with DOST Calabarzon for the enhancement of the state universities and colleges, as well as the community, within the region.
On the other hand, the turnover of Starbooks was part of the school’s Book Week celebration and launching of its digital campus academy.
Andaman also noted that the school will continue to strengthen its collaboration with DOST by promoting Starbooks to other institutions. “We will invite nearby academic institutions, not only private but also public-school students, to have access in our Starbooks inventory of learning material,” he said.
Starbooks was among the four recipients of the American Library Association Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects on June 29 in San Francisco, California. It was also one of the many product technologies featured during the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair on October 30 and November 1 in Malaysia. Starbooks is available online via www.starbooks.ph.
For inquiries, e-mail dost.starbooks@gmail.com, starbooks@stii.dost.gov.ph, or stiilibrary@gmail.com.
