The government has backed a review which states that libraries should be allowed to lend its members eBooks.

A panel including author Joanna Trollope, the agent Caroline Michel of PFD and publisher Stephen Page of Faber & Faber, recommended that libraries should be able to lend its members eBooks without having to charge them. This could help libraries become irreverent in this fast-growing world of technology. The recommendation was submitted Wednesday following submissions from across the book trade, and the government has backed it. The recommendation also stated that members should be allowed to borrow books remotely.

"It is plain that an inability to offer digital lending will make libraries increasingly irrelevant in a relatively short time. Library services therefore do not have the luxury of waiting any longer to expand, or in many cases start, their provision of digital lending," wrote the head of the review William Sieghart, publisher and Forward prize founder.

Previously, publishers and booksellers have raised their concerns about borrowing books remotely, saying it would be all too easy for users to borrow books for free, and this would lead to buyers never buying a book. While acknowledging their concerns, Sieghart also stated that not recognising the technological ease of remote downloading and how much in demand it will be among consumers would be "counter-intuitive."

"There are many encouraging signs from studies that borrowers of digital books go on to buy copies of the book they have read or other titles by the author or published by the publisher," he continued. "There is therefore a potential opportunity for digital loans to lead to a relationship between publishers and borrowers and between booksellers and borrowers. A 'buy now' option after a digital loan could allow the purchase of titles from a variety of sources including local retailers."

Culture minister Ed Vaizey also approved of the recommendation and said, "the challenging economic climate continues, but government will consider commencing the appropriate provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010 to extend PLR to audio, e-audio and ebooks".