A Random Thought on Libraries and Reading

When one reads a text, whether that text is a book, magazine, newspaper, internet article, encyclopedia entry, you get the idea; one is gaining an attribute or a value. When we read, what are we doing, after all? We are learning a new word, phrase, idea, notion, parable, moral, fact, lie, etc. We also re-learn old ideas and idioms passed down to us through years of education, whether through the musings of a schoolteacher or whimsical Saturdays browsing through books in a Library.

So we learn, constantly, always through our printed pages, environments and experiences. As we learn, our brain develops and we evolve as human beings. So I position this: if reading, throughout its various forms, causes us to change and rationalize the world more independently and thoughtfully, does that mean the act of reading is the highest of human virtues? Going even further; are libraries the highest of places for knowledge and intellect? I believe so!