diff --git a/src/lib/load_bag.cpp b/src/lib/load_bag.cpp
index 84e42dc..a66d35b 100644
--- a/src/lib/load_bag.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/load_bag.cpp
@@ -1,18 +1,43 @@
 #include "bag.hpp"
 #include "payload.hpp"
 #include <iostream>
+#include <fstream>
+#include <sstream>
 #include <string>
 
 Bag::Bag( string dfname ) {
   cout << "load constructor (" << dfname << ")" << endl;
-  string payloaddir = dfname + "src/";
+  // read in file bagit.txt
+  string bagit_txt_path =  dfname + "bagit.txt";
+  log << "parse " << bagit_txt_path << endl;
+  ifstream bagit_txt_file;
+  bagit_txt_file.open( bagit_txt_path );
+  if (bagit_txt_file.is_open()) {
+    string version_line;
+    string utf8_line;
+    getline(bagit_txt_file, version_line);
+    getline(bagit_txt_file, utf8_line);
+    bagit_txt_file.close();
+    stringstream version_ss ( version_line );
+    version_ss >> Bag::bagit_version_major;
+    version_ss >> Bag::bagit_version_minor;
+  } else {
+    Bag::log << "file " << bagit_txt_path << " could not be opened" <<endl;
+  }
+  // read in payload
+  string payloaddir = dfname + "data/";
   Bag::payload_p = new Payload( payloaddir ) ;
   list<string> files = Bag::payload_p->get_all_relative_paths();
+  // read in payload manifest
+  Bag::manifest_p = new Manifest(dfname);
+
   list<string>::iterator i;
   for (i=files.begin(); i!=files.end(); i++) {
     cout << "file/dir (rel):" << (*i) << endl;
     //cout << "file/dir (abs):" << (*i) << endl;
   }
+  Bag::manifest_p->get_checksum_file_pairs( md5 );
+
 }
 
 // vim: set tabstop=4