The physical location of computers does not send the message that books are inferior. It is poor instructional design that does that. The teacher who sends kids to the library and tells them they must get their information from the Web when a book would be ten times faster reduces the value of the print collection. It is also the instructor who doesn't make kids evaluate Web sites critically that contributes to this. Many of the teachers at our school do an outstanding job designing research projects that combine print and electronic resources and the students learn the value of both types.
Computer based resources are different from their print counterparts.
They are changing the way information is accessed and blurring the lines between sources. I don't think we should try to separate the various functions of computers into discreet units when in actuality they are becoming more integrated. As long as the kids have physical access to the books and computers and to the librarian, attaching a lab to the library makes sense. In fact networking has allowed us to expand the library into every classroom. All of our electronic tools, including the catalog, are available all over campus.