Like Nature, libraries abhor a vacuum, and the problem of space is inherent in the very nature of any collection of books.This is the paradox presented by every general library: that if, to a lesser or greater extent, it intends to accumulate and preserve as comprehensive as possible a record of the world, then ultimately its task must be redundant, since it can only be satisfied when the library’s borders coincide with those of the world itself.
The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
Bewildered Creatures 