diff --git a/src/hdf5_interface.cpp b/src/hdf5_interface.cpp
index 5d6926479c..74d26a58b6 100644
--- a/src/hdf5_interface.cpp
+++ b/src/hdf5_interface.cpp
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ get_groups(hid_t group_id, char* name[])
 }
 
 std::vector<std::string>
-group_names(hid_t group_id)
+member_names(hid_t group_id, H5O_type_t type)
 {
   // Determine number of links in the group
   H5G_info_t info;
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ group_names(hid_t group_id)
     // Determine type of object (and skip non-group)
     H5Oget_info_by_idx(group_id, ".", H5_INDEX_NAME, H5_ITER_INC, i, &oinfo,
                        H5P_DEFAULT);
-    if (oinfo.type != H5O_TYPE_GROUP) continue;
+    if (oinfo.type != type) continue;
 
     // Get size of name
     size = 1 + H5Lget_name_by_idx(group_id, ".", H5_INDEX_NAME, H5_ITER_INC,
@@ -356,6 +356,17 @@ group_names(hid_t group_id)
   return names;
 }
 
+std::vector<std::string>
+group_names(hid_t group_id)
+{
+  return member_names(group_id, H5O_TYPE_GROUP);
+}
+
+std::vector<std::string>
+dataset_names(hid_t group_id)
+{
+  return member_names(group_id, H5O_TYPE_DATASET);
+}
 
 bool
 object_exists(hid_t object_id, const char* name)
diff --git a/src/hdf5_interface.h b/src/hdf5_interface.h
index 65a9e2c995..5f7f3064c0 100644
--- a/src/hdf5_interface.h
+++ b/src/hdf5_interface.h
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ read_nd_vector(hid_t obj_id, const char* name,
                bool must_have = false);
 
 std::vector<hsize_t> attribute_shape(hid_t obj_id, const char* name);
+std::vector<std::string> dataset_names(hid_t group_id);
 void ensure_exists(hid_t group_id, const char* name);
 std::vector<std::string> group_names(hid_t group_id);
 std::vector<hsize_t> object_shape(hid_t obj_id);
@@ -209,6 +210,25 @@ read_attribute(hid_t obj_id, const char* name, std::string& str)
   str = std::string{buffer, n};
 }
 
+// overload for std::vector<std::string>
+inline void
+read_attribute(hid_t obj_id, const char* name, std::vector<std::string>& vec)
+{
+  auto dims = attribute_shape(obj_id, name);
+  auto m = dims[0];
+
+  // Allocate a C char array to get strings
+  auto n = attribute_typesize(obj_id, name);
+  char buffer[m][n+1];
+
+  // Read char data in attribute
+  read_attr_string(obj_id, name, n, buffer[0]);
+
+  for (int i = 0; i < m; ++i) {
+    vec.emplace_back(&buffer[i][0]);
+  }
+}
+
 //==============================================================================
 // Templates/overloads for read_dataset
 //==============================================================================