IT and Libraries: Residents of rural areas of the Philippines to gain access to the electronic library

The digital library Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk (STARBOOKS) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Philippines will soon be available in the rural areas via datacasting.

Starbooks is an information source designed to reach those with limited or no access to science and technology information resources. The project provides science-based materials to teachers, students and other constituents in geographically isolated and economically challenged schools and communities nationwide.

The Starbooks e-library contains hundreds of thousands of digitized science and technology resources in various formats (research papers, studies, journals, encyclopedias, video- and audio-materials, etc.).

Marking its 11th anniversary, Starbooks inked a partnership with the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) to make the portal available in select pilot grade schools and high schools.

ASTI has been using datacasting, or data broadcasting mechanisms through both digital television and Low-Earth Orbit satellites, in distributing educational resource materials in remote communities. While datacasting is not a substitute for the Internet, it provides a viable means of delivering learning resource materials in far-flung areas.

«The latest shift in learning, from traditional face-to-face to remote education, has highlighted the need for a reliable ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure and system in the country. It has also revealed the widening digital divide in unserved and underserved areas, where access to the internet and information are minimal to none», ASTI Director Franz de Leon said in a statement.

The DOST’s Science Information and Technology Institute (STII), which manages Starbooks, will ensure that resources are aligned with the Department of Education’s learning competencies and the most essential learning competencies stated in the agency’s curriculum.

«With this partnership, we are taking another significant step to achieving our shared goal of improving the state of infrastructure, education, resilience, and overall quality of life in the country», de Leon said.