diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c9d481806b..de26325251 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ classifiers = [
 dynamic = ["version"]
 dependencies = [
     "pydantic >= 2.0",
+    "importlib_metadata; python_version < '3.8'",
+    "importlib_resources; python_version < '3.9'",
 ]
 
 
diff --git a/python/nav/buildconf.py b/python/nav/buildconf.py
index 16650c650c..c39aed4088 100644
--- a/python/nav/buildconf.py
+++ b/python/nav/buildconf.py
@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@
 # pylint: disable=invalid-name
 import os
 import sysconfig
-import pkg_resources
+
+try:
+    from importlib import metadata as _impmeta
+except ImportError:
+    import importlib_metadata as _impmeta
+
 
 datadir = os.path.join(sysconfig.get_config_var('datarootdir'), 'nav')
 localstatedir = os.path.join(datadir, 'var')
@@ -10,9 +15,10 @@
 djangotmpldir = os.path.join(datadir, "templates")
 docdir = os.path.join(datadir, "doc")
 
+
 try:
-    VERSION = pkg_resources.get_distribution("nav").version
-except pkg_resources.DistributionNotFound:
+    VERSION = _impmeta.version("nav")
+except _impmeta.PackageNotFoundError:
     # If we're not installed, try to get the current version from Git tags
     import setuptools_scm
 
diff --git a/python/nav/config.py b/python/nav/config.py
index 9a500a93b9..4fe1f00d5e 100644
--- a/python/nav/config.py
+++ b/python/nav/config.py
@@ -27,9 +27,10 @@
 import pwd
 import stat
 import configparser
-import pkg_resources
+from pathlib import Path
 
 from nav.errors import GeneralException
+from nav.util import resource_files, resource_bytes
 from . import buildconf
 
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -247,13 +248,15 @@ def _config_resource_walk(source=''):
     from available nav package resources. All paths returned will be relative to
     the etc top directory.
     """
-    current_path = os.path.join('etc', source)
-    for name in pkg_resources.resource_listdir('nav', current_path):
-        full_name = os.path.join(current_path, name)
-        relative_name = os.path.join(source, name)
-        if pkg_resources.resource_isdir('nav', full_name):
+    source = Path(source)
+    current_path = Path('etc') / source
+    for path in resource_files('nav').joinpath(current_path).iterdir():
+        name = path.name
+        full_name = current_path / name
+        relative_name = str(source / name)
+        if resource_files('nav').joinpath(full_name).is_dir():
             for path in _config_resource_walk(source=relative_name):
-                yield path
+                yield str(path)
         else:
             yield relative_name
 
@@ -272,7 +275,7 @@ def _install_single_config_resource_(source, target, overwrite=False):
     if not overwrite and os.path.exists(target_file):
         return False
 
-    content = pkg_resources.resource_string('nav', resource_path)
+    content = resource_bytes('nav', resource_path)
     with open(target_file, 'wb') as handle:
         handle.write(content)
         return target_file
diff --git a/python/nav/pgsync.py b/python/nav/pgsync.py
index 6b8386b969..54d0a8c50a 100755
--- a/python/nav/pgsync.py
+++ b/python/nav/pgsync.py
@@ -25,12 +25,13 @@
 import subprocess
 from textwrap import wrap
 from errno import ENOENT, EACCES
+from pathlib import Path
 import psycopg2
-from pkg_resources import resource_listdir, resource_string
 
 from nav.db import ConnectionParameters
 from nav.colors import colorize, print_color
 from nav.colors import COLOR_CYAN, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_RED, COLOR_GREEN
+from nav.util import resource_files, resource_bytes
 
 
 def main():
@@ -546,7 +547,7 @@ def execute_sql_file(self, filename):
             print_color("OK", COLOR_GREEN)
 
     def _read_sql_file(self, filename):
-        return resource_string(self.resource_module, filename)
+        return resource_bytes(self.resource_module, filename)
 
 
 class ChangeScriptFinder(list):
@@ -562,12 +563,13 @@ def __init__(self, resource_module):
         self._find_change_scripts()
 
     def _find_change_scripts(self):
-        changes_dir = 'sql/changes'
-        scripts = [
-            os.path.join(changes_dir, f)
-            for f in resource_listdir(self.resource_module, changes_dir)
-            if self.script_pattern.match(f)
-        ]
+        changes_dir = Path('sql/changes')
+        scripts = []
+        sql_path = resource_files(self.resource_module).joinpath(changes_dir)
+        for path in sql_path.iterdir():
+            filename = path.name
+            if self.script_pattern.match(str(filename)):
+                scripts.append(str(changes_dir / filename))
         self[:] = scripts
 
     def get_missing_changes(self, versions):
diff --git a/python/nav/statemon/checker/RadiusChecker.py b/python/nav/statemon/checker/RadiusChecker.py
index eeed2c322e..51b69adef5 100644
--- a/python/nav/statemon/checker/RadiusChecker.py
+++ b/python/nav/statemon/checker/RadiusChecker.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 # License along with NAV. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 #
 """RADIUS service checker"""
-from pkg_resources import resource_filename
+from nav.util import resource_filename
 
 # Python-radius specific modules. pyrad found at
 # http://www.wiggy.net/code/pyrad/ by Wichert Akkermann
diff --git a/python/nav/util.py b/python/nav/util.py
index c7b609d309..edb8d9c93f 100644
--- a/python/nav/util.py
+++ b/python/nav/util.py
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@
 
 import IPy
 
+try:
+    from importlib.resources import as_file, files as resource_files
+except ImportError:  # Python 3.7!
+    from importlib_resources import as_file, files as resource_files
+
 
 def gradient(start, stop, steps):
     """Create and return a sequence of steps representing an integer
@@ -509,3 +514,24 @@ def _range_to_str(x, y):
             return str(x)
         else:
             return "{}-{}".format(x, y)
+
+
+def resource_filename(package, filename):
+    """Return the path of the filename as it is inside the package
+
+    package: either a dotted path to a module or a module object
+    filename: str or pathlib.Path
+    """
+    ref = resource_files(package) / filename
+    with as_file(ref) as path:
+        return str(path)
+
+
+def resource_bytes(package, filename):
+    """Read and return a bytes-object of the filename found in the package
+
+    package: either a dotted path to a module or a module object
+    filename: str or pathlib.Path
+    """
+    ref = resource_files(package) / filename
+    return ref.read_bytes()
diff --git a/requirements/base.txt b/requirements/base.txt
index 87041f9f77..6a949e456d 100644
--- a/requirements/base.txt
+++ b/requirements/base.txt
@@ -37,4 +37,6 @@ libsass==0.15.1
 napalm==3.4.1
 
 backports.zoneinfo ; python_version < '3.9'
+importlib_metadata ; python_version < '3.8'
+importlib_resources ; python_version < '3.9'
 git+https://github.com/Uninett/drf-oidc-auth@v4.0#egg=drf-oidc-auth