The IES building now faces a crisis. The building was originally designed for accomodating the Imperial household. The palace was only built to carry light loads. The structure is now coming under increasing strain, with the steady growth of both Museum and Library. Now laden with bookshelves fully loaded, the building is in danger of collapse.

There is also another serious problem. The Museum is acutely short of space, and can exhibit only a fraction of its present holdings. While the elegance and historical associations of the building are appropriate for a museum, the facilities are inadequate for a modern library. The library ought to move out of the building, leaving the entire palace for the museum.

Thus the new library project releaves the palace from the heavy load of carrying the increasing number of books. At the same time it allows the expansion of the museum.