Governor Ram Nath Kovind has asked the district administration to provide a detailed project report on how to revive the 69-year-old Sri Krishna Seva Sadan library.

Kovind, who was on a three-day trip (from Sunday to Tuesday) to Munger, was impressed to find 78,000 rare books at the library but was worried over the condition in which they were kept.

The district administration is consulting intellectuals and has sought suggestions from officials concerned to revive the defunct sections of the library and maintain it.

District collector Udai Kumar Singh has been asked to furnish the report. "Kovind was highly impressed to find a few books at the library, including those donated by Shri Krishna Singh, the state's first chief minister," Udai told The Telegraph. "He was, however, unhappy with the condition in which a few rare books were kept in the library. The district administration will send him the report soon."

"The district administration has deputed a librarian, an assistant, a peon and a sweeper temporarily to keep the library and the reading room functional," said K. K. Sharma, the district education officer, who is also the secretary of the library's managing committee. "All the employees, including the librarian, have retired and no fresh appointments have been made for nearly 20 years. The district administration has sought permission from the government to appoint people in the 16 sanctioned posts."

The library has several sections - a reading-room, a charitable dispensary, a mobile library, a child section, a women's section, a spinning section, a fine art centre, a gymnasium and a Gandhian literature study centre. At present, only the library and the reading room are functional.

Mithilesh Kumar, who is pursuing his masters in English from RD & DJ College, Munger, told The Telegraph: "Latest books should be made available to attract students who pursue higher studies. It's necessary to revive the dead sections with proper lights and fans."