Currently this is one of only two surviving public libraries in the capital. The other is in Khairkhona in the north west of the city. The Central Library has a total of 500,000 books and 500 boxes of English books have arrived, but with no shelves they are stored wherever there is space and staff will also need assistance in cataloguing these books. The Ministry is currently seeking to renovate the Central Library and re-open its various branches. Funds are required to rent or build new library structures and to acquire books and retrain staff. The building needs repair and with no climate control the books are deteriorating. The first floor houses the lending library where anyone can apply for a borrower’s card. The card catalogue is in both Dari and Pashtu, but there are also numerous books in English, German, French and Russian. The children’s library is on the second floor and houses 1,200 books. The Goethe-Institut has donated children’s tapes and videos but the library needs a cassette player and television to watch them. On the third floor are the reference sections in many languages. There are shelves of Encyclopaedia Britannica from 1885 and Russian, Italian, French and German encyclopaedias in the resource section. In the general reading area are shelves of very old editions of books about Afghanistan, the Great Game; and French, German and English newsletters from the 1960s and 1970s that reflect a time of peace and growing prosperity, if only in Kabul. These newsletters have articles by respected scholars about Afghan history and culture, pages of current events in the capital and a social page. A stunning book of lithographs of the costumes, caravans and daily life of Afghanis from 1834 sits dust-covered on a shelf. Director Nabizada studied in Moscow and has been in post for 28 years. At the time of the Mujahideen civil wars the library was closed for 20 days and most of the staff left the city. When they returned the books were still on the shelves, but 15 of Nabizadas’ miniatures were missing from his office. Later, books were stolen. The Taliban came to the library and cut the pictures of the authors out of the books and tore out photos of people and animals. However they left most of the collection intact. The Goethe-Institut has donated money for the acquisition of tables, chairs and shelves. There have been no resources for new books for a decade, however Nabizada hopes to get a computer and Internet facilities for his library sponsored by the Goethe-Institut, UNESCO and UNAMA. This Internet café will be available for researchers and the public.