Organizing Reference Materials

I know there has been some ongoing discussion in this class over where reference materials (print ones) should be housed in the library.  As I found myself sitting in a public library today while my car was serviced, I think I came up with an appropriate design.  Prior to this, the ideas have just been circulating through my brain.

Ready reference materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries can have their own little "reference" spot.  These materials do not circulate to students, though I can see that they may get taken to a classroom for use there.  Atlases, almanacs, Guinness World Record books, etc. will be housed in the appropriate section of the non-fiction where they can be labelled as reference and non-circulating (in the library where I am right now, they use a red dot) or circulating, depending on what it is deemed necessary.  At this point in time, these books are popular at my school and students like to take them out, hence they are circulating books.  Teachers have never requested these books or sent a student to the library to look up something, so it does not seem necessary to keep those books in the library.  If, in the future, this becomes necessary, it can change - with the intention to create a more open, flexible library schedule next year, I may in fact see students arriving in the library to "look something up."

The question is . . . will they look in a book? or look online?