Ok so the parent says that when small towns have a library, it's not because they are run in a more enlightened fashion than revenue guzzling big cities, but because these small towns are subsidized by the economic contributions of said big cities, either on a state or country level.

You then counter by saying that's wrong and actually small towns have a small library that has a crappy selection but they can get you any book you want if you can wait.

Pop quiz hotshot: Where do you think there is enough built up infrastructure, wealth, and surplus labor capacity to have a large centralized store of books and to organize and distribute said books?

Probably just another small town, am I right?