It wasn't that time stopped in the library. It was as if it were captured here, collected here, and in all libraries--and not only my time, my life, but all human time as well. In the library, time is dammed up--not just stopped but saved. The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.
--Susan Orlean, The Library Book, pages 11-12
Rebuilding the ancient ruins, repairing the breach, restoring the streets to live in
