Originally commissioned 14 years ago, the new British Library was supposed to open in 1990.However, the project has been delayed by political infighting, poor planing and financial problems.The most recent setback came in June when inspectors discovered that 60 miles of new metal shelving had started to rust and needs to be replaced.That would postpone the opening of the project's first phase for another two years.

"Things have gone from bad to worse", said Brian Lake, secretary of the Regular Readers, an association of writers and scholars who are not happy with plans for the new library.It is a grand national project that has become a great national scandal.

It sounded like a splendid idea when the government unveiled its $225 million project in 1978.

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Sophisticated electronic equipment would help keep the library's irreplaceable stock at an optimal temperature and humidity.

A computer-controlled delivery system would provide books to readers within minutes of a request rather than days.

And to serve other needs of the reading public, the library would also include exhibition galleries, a restaurant and a conference hall.That was the plan, anyway.The start of construction was delayed until 1982 by arguments about planning and by a change of government.

Four years later, members of the cabinet ordered a progress report and discovered that the committee responsible for supervising the project hadn't met in four years.=>what is the main topic of thisparagraph