What About the Books?

My students have spent the last few days in the library learning about research. I emphasize the use of the library's databases, but I also show them how to find the antiques in the library-the books. Most of my students don't even know where the books are, or how to find a book by the call number until I show them. I think it's ironic that the majority of the books are housed in the basement, far out of sight from your average library patron. Obviously, once more intense research is required for a class, people will find the books, but until that day, the library is really about the technology. Libraries are supposed to be about books, right? So why are they hidden from sight? I suppose it is a spatial or an aesthetic issue, but it seems as though they are an afterthought. If I had to guess, I would say that most people go to the library to use the computers or other technological resources that are offered there. I love everything about books, so I worry sometimes that they will soon be forgotten relics (Amazon Kindle-I can't even think about that). It seems as if this trend has already invaded our library.