When public libraries began lending e-books, publishers and booksellers worried that they’d be put out of business, according to Guardian writer Anna Baddeley. In order to protect the interests of these stakeholders, publisher William Sieghart recommended that “frictions”—that is, lending limits—be put in place.

But according to the findings of a recent e-lending pilot project by the Society of Chief Librarians and the Publishers Association, publishers and booksellers have nothing to worry about—not yet, anyway. Specifically, the results showed that even though e-book borrowing has increased, it has only made up 5 percent of total fiction loans.

Furthermore, those who borrowed e-books tended to buy e-books more than other library users, and were also more affluent and less likely to visit a library. In addition, most book borrowers said that e-book lending wouldn’t impact their decision to either buy books or go to a bookstore.

Still, the report worried some booksellers, since it indicated that some e-book borrowers might visit brick-and-mortar bookstores less often. Furthermore, 95 percent of library users said that they’d borrow more often if there were a greater range of e-book titles.

This is a concern for Tim Godfray, CEO of the Booksellers Association, according to The Bookseller: “The research findings highlight the serious ramifications that we believe e-book lending will have on our bookshops, not to mention the potential reduction of people visiting libraries. 39% of e-book borrowers said they were much less likely to visit a bookshop; 37% said they were much less likely to purchase printed books; and 31% said they were much less likely to purchase e-books. If public libraries are able to loan as many e-books as they want without fair and balanced controls, many commercial aspects of the book trade would be harmed. We will continue to lobby for a fair system that allows libraries to lend e-books but with the proper oversight and controls in place.”

But Baddeley writes that such suspicion is unfounded: “While I sympathise with the book industry’s desire to protect its interests, it is depressing when two parties that want the same thing—a healthy literary ecosystem where people read more—resemble rival football fans arguing over a penalty.”

“Lending [e-books] to the 51% of the population with library cards will likely have a negligible effect on book sales, just as 165 years of public libraries haven’t put bookshops out of business,” she added.