Metroreaderreading on the go: a guide to reading while you travel

An independent guide to reading on the go. We are not a library or a shop and do not hand out books or files; we have no connection to the earlier website on this domain.

Reference

Reference

This section explains the words you come across when choosing what to read on during your trip, looking for a book through legal channels and trying to build a habit. The definitions are short and need no background. We do not tie them to device models, services or specific libraries: the meaning of the terms does not change because of that. Legal terms are explained in general words and do not replace advice from a lawyer, and copyright terms are given for Russia only.

The word "classic" often also means "free to read": many older works entered the public domain long ago and are open to any reader.

— Editor's note

Formats

Paper book
A printed edition. On the go it needs no charging and does not distract you with notifications, but it has weight and takes up room in your bag. Handy when you want a break from screens.
E-book
The text of a book in digital form, read on an e-reader, a phone or another screen. Font size and brightness can usually be adjusted to suit you and the lighting.
E-reader
A device designed primarily for reading e-books. Many such devices have a screen that looks like paper. We do not name or compare models.
Audiobook
A recording of a book read aloud. You listen through headphones, so it works when your hands are full or reading standing up is awkward. In transit, it is important to keep the volume at a level where you can hear announcements.

Rights and access

Exclusive right
The right to use a work, held by the author or another rights holder. Under Russian law, it lasts for the author's entire lifetime and 70 years counted from January 1 of the year following the author's death (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1281). Terms differ in other countries — check local rules.
Public domain
The status of a work after its term of exclusive right has expired. Under Russian law, such a work may be used freely by anyone (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1282).
Library e-lending
A general name for a service in which a library gives readers access to some of its books in electronic form. What the service includes and how to use it is up to the library itself.
Legal source
A place where you get a book with the rights holder's consent or on the basis of the law: a library, a bookstore, a publisher, public-domain works, or swapping your own paper copies.

Reading

To-read list
A single ongoing list of books you have heard about and would like to read. It saves you from long deliberation over the next book and from random last-minute choices.
Note
A short record of what you have read: a thought, a question, an impression. It goes in the margins of your own book, on a bookmark or in your notes. It helps you return to the text after a break.
Quote
A passage of text copied out word for word. It is easier to keep quotes in one place and note the book each came from, so you can find and reread them later.
Book club
A group of people who read the same book and meet to discuss it. Meetings can be in person or by video call; the members choose how often to meet and the rules themselves.

Where to read more

  • How-to

    How to read in transit and stick with a book. Plus a catalog of upcoming articles.

  • Questions

    Short answers about formats and devices, legal sources of books, the reading habit and the commute.

  • Collections

    Reading paths: a book for a single trip, your first audiobook, reading with a child on the train.

  • Topics

    Topic map: reading formats, where to get books, the habit of reading a little at a time, comfort and safety on the go.

  • Questions

    Short answers about formats and devices, legal sources of books, the reading habit and the commute.

  • Collections

    Reading paths: a book for a single trip, your first audiobook, reading with a child on the train.

  • What's new

    A feed of the guide's pages with dates and topic tags.

Sources

  • Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Arts. 1281 and 1282
  • Public transit rules of conduct, general provisions
  • Metroreader editorial materials

Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Each library sets its own terms for its services, including e-lending, and each transit operator sets its own rules of conduct, so check the rules in force. Copyright terms outside Russia may differ.