diff --git a/include/cdio/cdtext.h b/include/cdio/cdtext.h
index fbd932f7..66369261 100644
--- a/include/cdio/cdtext.h
+++ b/include/cdio/cdtext.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-    $Id: cdtext.h,v 1.10 2005/01/29 20:54:20 rocky Exp $
+    $Id: cdtext.h,v 1.11 2005/04/25 23:06:21 rocky Exp $
 
     Copyright (C) 2004, 2005 Rocky Bernstein <rocky@panix.com>
     adapted from cuetools
@@ -85,6 +85,17 @@ extern "C" {
     input here.
   */
   char *cdtext_get (cdtext_field_t key, const cdtext_t *cdtext);
+
+  /*! returns a const string associated with the given field.  NULL is
+    returned if key is CDTEXT_INVALID or the field is not set.
+
+    Don't use the string when the cdtext object (i.e. the CdIo_t object
+    you got it from) is no longer valid.
+
+    @see cdio_get_cdtext to retrieve the cdtext structure used as
+    input here.
+  */
+  const char *cdtext_get_const (cdtext_field_t key, const cdtext_t *cdtext);
   
   /*!
     returns enum of keyword if key is a CD-Text keyword, 
diff --git a/lib/driver/cdtext.c b/lib/driver/cdtext.c
index 4cdc5b43..c6de8219 100644
--- a/lib/driver/cdtext.c
+++ b/lib/driver/cdtext.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-    $Id: cdtext.c,v 1.4 2005/03/23 11:15:25 rocky Exp $
+    $Id: cdtext.c,v 1.5 2005/04/25 23:06:21 rocky Exp $
 
     Copyright (C) 2004, 2005 Rocky Bernstein <rocky@panix.com>
     toc reading routine adapted from cuetools
@@ -89,10 +89,18 @@ cdtext_destroy (cdtext_t *p_cdtext)
 char *
 cdtext_get (cdtext_field_t key, const cdtext_t *p_cdtext)
 {
-  if (key == CDTEXT_INVALID) return NULL;
+  if ((key == CDTEXT_INVALID) || (!p_cdtext->field[key])) return NULL;
   return strdup(p_cdtext->field[key]);
 }
 
+const char *
+cdtext_get_const (cdtext_field_t key, const cdtext_t *p_cdtext)
+{
+  if (key == CDTEXT_INVALID) return NULL;
+  return p_cdtext->field[key];
+}
+
+
 /*! Initialize a new cdtext structure.
   When the structure is no longer needed, release the 
   resources using cdtext_delete.
diff --git a/lib/driver/libcdio.sym b/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
index 977b0d23..cd4155cd 100644
--- a/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
+++ b/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ cdio_warn
 cdtext_destroy
 cdtext_field2str
 cdtext_get
+cdtext_get_const
 cdtext_init
 cdtext_is_keyword
 cdtext_set