DOST to put up 150 digital libraries in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, March 24 (PNA) – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will set up digital science library kiosks in 150 elementary and secondary schools in Eastern Visayas.

DOST Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla said that their office got at least PHP12 million funds to put up user-friendly portals dubbed as Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station (Starbooks).

“This will be the first attempt to set up both hardware and software for Starbooks in the region. In the past, we just provided software for installation in schools and government offices,” Esperancilla said on Thursday.

Starbooks is a user-friendly information portal that can be accessed even without internet connection. It contains local and foreign science and technology resources in text, video and audio formats including journals, investigatory materials and livelihood videos.

The materials cover a diverse range of topics, from food and nutrition, health and medicine, energy, environment, livelihood, technologies and many others.

“What we will have are the Super Starbooks. Aside from its original content, it will carry some 20,000 materials of livelihood information ideal for students, professionals and housewives with entrepreneurial spirit. It includes 120 full-length how-to videos on income-generating projects,” Esperancilla explained.

The facility is open to the public even if it will be set up inside selected public school campuses, according to the DOST official.

The Super Starbooks is being deployed nationwide in schools, town libraries, government offices and other entities for free. The partner-proponents will only shoulder the computers and kiosks and the DOST-Science and Technology Information Institute will provide the content and training of librarians.

The project earned 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.(PNA)
SQM