new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/volume_io/Prog_utils/print.c
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#include  <def_mni.h>
+#include  <stdarg.h>
+
+private  void  (*print_function) ( char [] );
+
+public  void  set_print_function( void (*function) ( char [] ) )
+{
+    print_function = function;
+}
+
+/* VARARGS */
+public  void  print( char format[], ... )
+{
+    va_list  ap;
+    char     print_buffer[1000];
+
+    va_start( ap, format );
+    (void) vsprintf( print_buffer, format, ap );
+    va_end( ap );
+
+    if( print_function == NULL )
+        (void) printf( "%s", print_buffer );
+    else
+        (*print_function) ( print_buffer );
+}

new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/volume_io/Prog_utils/string.c
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+
+#include  <def_mni.h>
+
+/* ----------------------------- MNI Header -----------------------------------
+@NAME       : string_ends_in
+@INPUT      : string
+            : ending
+@OUTPUT     : 
+@RETURNS    : TRUE if string ends in "ending"
+@DESCRIPTION: Checks if the string ends in ending, e.g., 
+            : string_ends_in( "main.c", ".c" ) returns true.
+@METHOD     : 
+@GLOBALS    : 
+@CALLS      : 
+@CREATED    :                      David MacDonald
+@MODIFIED   : 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+public  Boolean  string_ends_in(
+    char   string[],
+    char   ending[] )
+{
+    int      len_string, len_ending;
+    Boolean  ending_present;
+
+    len_string = strlen( string );
+    len_ending = strlen( ending );
+
+    if( len_ending > len_string )
+    {
+        ending_present = FALSE;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        ending_present = (strcmp( &string[len_string-len_ending], ending ) ==0);
+    }
+
+    return( ending_present );
+}
+
+/* ----------------------------- MNI Header -----------------------------------
+@NAME       : strip_blanks
+@INPUT      : str
+@OUTPUT     : stripped
+@RETURNS    : 
+@DESCRIPTION: This should be called strip_leading_and_trailing_blanks.
+            : Creates a new string which is the original str without any
+            : leading or trailing blanks.
+@METHOD     : 
+@GLOBALS    : 
+@CALLS      : 
+@CREATED    :                      David MacDonald
+@MODIFIED   : 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+public    void   strip_blanks(
+    char  str[],
+    char  stripped[] )
+{
+    int  i, first_non_blank, last_non_blank, len;
+
+    len = strlen( str );
+
+    first_non_blank = 0;
+    while( first_non_blank < len && str[first_non_blank] == ' ' )
+    {
+        ++first_non_blank;
+    }
+
+    last_non_blank = len-1;
+    while( last_non_blank >= 0 && str[last_non_blank] == ' ' )
+    {
+        --last_non_blank;
+    }
+
+    for_inclusive( i, first_non_blank, last_non_blank )
+    {
+        stripped[i-first_non_blank] = str[i];
+    }
+
+    stripped[last_non_blank - first_non_blank + 1] = (char) 0;
+}
+
+/* ----------------------------- MNI Header -----------------------------------
+@NAME       : find_character
+@INPUT      : string
+            : ch
+@OUTPUT     : 
+@RETURNS    : index of ch within string or -1
+@DESCRIPTION: Finds the index of the given character within the string.
+@METHOD     : 
+@GLOBALS    : 
+@CALLS      : 
+@CREATED    :                      David MacDonald
+@MODIFIED   : 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+public  int  find_character(
+    char    string[],
+    char    ch )
+{
+    int   i, len;
+
+    len = strlen( string );
+
+    for_less( i, 0, len )
+    {
+        if( string[i] == ch ) break;
+    }
+
+    if( i >= len )
+    {
+        i = -1;
+    }
+
+    return( i );
+}
+
+/* ----------------------------- MNI Header -----------------------------------
+@NAME       : get_upper_case_string
+@INPUT      : string
+@OUTPUT     : upper_case
+@RETURNS    : 
+@DESCRIPTION: Converts every lower case character in string to upper case,
+            : with the result in "upper_case".
+@METHOD     : 
+@GLOBALS    : 
+@CALLS      : 
+@CREATED    :                      David MacDonald
+@MODIFIED   : 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+public  void  get_upper_case_string(
+    char    string[],
+    char    upper_case[] )
+{
+    int   i, len;
+
+    len = strlen( string );
+
+    for_less( i, 0, len )
+    {
+        upper_case[i] = GET_UPPER_CASE( string[i] );
+    }
+
+    upper_case[i] = (char) 0;
+}