No Students in the Library (Media Center)

What happened to the media center being filled with students doing research projects?

I work at two high schools, twice a week and every week I pass by the media center and there are no, ZERO, students in there reading or even touching a book, although there are several books to choose from.

What happened to the days of the teacher giving her students a project or a book report and making them spend the entire period in the library, researching the material they will use for that project?  I understand that everything is online now, but why have a library if you aren't going make the students utilize it or allow them to utilize it.  The media center has become somewhat of a dead zone for students, nothing goes on here, so they stay away.

Someone could argue that students can find what they need online, but are students really reading anything anyway?  Whether it be online or in a book, I find that students aren't taking the time to read anything, so maybe we need to make them READ. 

Reading is fundamental.  Reading something could be the difference of you gaining something or signing your life away.  I can't completely harp on the students, parents aren't reading either, what is going on with the world?!  I remember my teachers making us read, and re-read a paragraph until we could fully understand and explain what we had read; that doesn't seem to be happening anymore.  Everything is geared towards preparing students for a test, yet test scores don't seem to be increasing.

My solution is that we get students from in front of the computer screen and into the library.  Make them grab a book and put down their cell phones.  Have them read about whatever they choose or pick something for the subject you teach and have them report on what they read.  Make their brains actually do some work.

Put the library to use or else, cut the costs and put the money elsewhere.