diff --git a/oden-js/src/lib.rs b/oden-js/src/lib.rs
index 6d6397c5..e4171675 100644
--- a/oden-js/src/lib.rs
+++ b/oden-js/src/lib.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ impl From<std::io::Error> for Error {
     }
 }
 
+impl From<std::str::Utf8Error> for Error {
+    fn from(e: std::str::Utf8Error) -> Self {
+        Error::ConversionError(e.to_string())
+    }
+}
+
 pub type Result<T> = core::result::Result<T, Error>;
 pub type ValueResult = core::result::Result<Value, Error>;
 
diff --git a/src/io.ts b/src/io.ts
index e95fada6..7131bc94 100644
--- a/src/io.ts
+++ b/src/io.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@ import * as core from "io-core";
  * @param path The path of the file to load.
  * @returns The contents of the file.
  */
-export function load(path: string): Promise<ArrayBuffer> {
-  return core.load(path);
-}
+export const load = core.load;
+
+/**
+ * Load the specified file into memory as a string.
+ *
+ * @param path The path of the file to load.
+ * @returns The contents of the file decoded from utf-8.
+ */
+export const load_string = core.load_string;
diff --git a/src/script/io.rs b/src/script/io.rs
index d508c040..ba3521fc 100644
--- a/src/script/io.rs
+++ b/src/script/io.rs
@@ -82,6 +82,24 @@ impl IoImpl {
 
         Ok(value)
     }
+
+    fn load_string(&self, context: &ContextRef, path: &str) -> ValueResult {
+        let (value, promise) = context.new_promise()?;
+
+        let path = path.to_string();
+        self.thread_pool.execute(Box::new(move || {
+            let path = path;
+
+            let result = resolve_path(&path, &[]).and_then(|p| std::fs::read(p));
+            promise.resolve(move |ctx: &ContextRef| {
+                let result = result?;
+                let string = std::str::from_utf8(&result)?;
+                ctx.new_string(string)
+            });
+        }));
+
+        Ok(value)
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct IoAPI {}
@@ -97,6 +115,13 @@ impl IoAPI {
                 ctx.new_fn(move |ctx: &ContextRef, p: String| io.load(ctx, &p))?,
             )?;
         }
+        {
+            let io = io.clone();
+            builder.export(
+                "load_string",
+                ctx.new_fn(move |ctx: &ContextRef, p: String| io.load_string(ctx, &p))?,
+            )?;
+        }
         builder.build("io-core")?;
         Ok(IoAPI {})
     }
diff --git a/types/io-core.d.ts b/types/io-core.d.ts
index e5114f02..283b70df 100644
--- a/types/io-core.d.ts
+++ b/types/io-core.d.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 // These are the functions exposed by the native IO module.
 //
 export function load(path: string): Promise<ArrayBuffer>;
+
+export function load_string(path: string): Promise<string>;