diff --git a/src/interface.f90 b/src/interface.f90
index 74f2e7d8..2c628e55 100644
--- a/src/interface.f90
+++ b/src/interface.f90
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@ module h5fortran
 use hdf5, only : HID_T, SIZE_T, HSIZE_T, H5F_ACC_RDONLY_F, H5F_ACC_RDWR_F, H5F_ACC_TRUNC_F, &
     h5open_f, h5close_f, h5gcreate_f, h5gclose_f, h5fopen_f, h5fcreate_f, h5fclose_f, h5lexists_f, &
     h5get_libversion_f, h5eset_auto_f
+use h5lt, only : h5ltget_dataset_ndims_f, h5ltget_dataset_info_f
 
 use string_utils, only : toLower, strip_trailing_null, truncate_string_null
 
 implicit none
 private
-public :: hdf5_file, toLower, hsize_t, strip_trailing_null, truncate_string_null, check, h5write, h5read
+public :: hdf5_file, toLower, hdf_shape_check, hsize_t, strip_trailing_null, truncate_string_null, &
+  check, h5write, h5read
 
 
 !> main type
@@ -159,13 +161,6 @@ module subroutine lt7read(filename, dname, value, ierr)
 end subroutine lt7read
 
 
-module subroutine hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
-class(hdf5_file), intent(in) :: self
-character(*), intent(in) :: dname
-integer(HSIZE_T), intent(in) :: dims(:)
-integer, intent(out) :: ierr
-end subroutine hdf_setup_read
-
 module subroutine hdf_setup_write(self, dname, dtype, dims, sid, did, ierr, chunk_size)
 class(hdf5_file), intent(inout) :: self
 character(*), intent(in) :: dname
@@ -505,4 +500,40 @@ logical function check(ierr, msg)
 end function check
 
 
+subroutine hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+class(hdf5_file), intent(in) :: self
+character(*), intent(in) :: dname
+integer(HSIZE_T), intent(in) :: dims(:)
+integer, intent(out) :: ierr
+
+integer(SIZE_T) :: dsize
+integer(HSIZE_T) :: ddims(size(dims))
+integer :: dtype, drank
+
+if (.not.self%exist(dname, ierr)) return
+
+!> check for matching rank, else bad reads can occur--doesn't always crash without this check
+call h5ltget_dataset_ndims_f(self%lid, dname, drank, ierr)
+if (check(ierr, 'ERROR: get_dataset_ndim ' // dname // ' read ' // self%filename)) return
+
+if (drank /= size(dims)) then
+  write(stderr,'(A,I6,A,I6)') 'ERROR: rank mismatch ' // dname // ' = ',drank,'  variable rank =', size(dims)
+  ierr = -1
+  return
+endif
+
+!> check for matching size, else bad reads can occur.
+
+call h5ltget_dataset_info_f(self%lid, dname, ddims, dtype, dsize, ierr)
+if (check(ierr, 'ERROR: get_dataset_info ' // dname // ' read ' // self%filename)) return
+
+if(.not. all(dims == ddims)) then
+  write(stderr,*) 'ERROR: shape mismatch ' // dname // ' = ',ddims,'  variable shape =', dims
+  ierr = -1
+  return
+  endif
+
+end subroutine hdf_shape_check
+
+
 end module h5fortran
diff --git a/src/read.f90 b/src/read.f90
index bad900d4..0d591d2a 100644
--- a/src/read.f90
+++ b/src/read.f90
@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@
 !! This submodule is for reading HDF5 via submodules
 use hdf5, only : h5dopen_f, h5dread_f, h5dclose_f, h5dget_create_plist_f, &
   h5pget_layout_f, H5D_CONTIGUOUS_F, H5D_CHUNKED_F
-use H5LT, only : h5ltget_dataset_info_f, &
-  h5ltread_dataset_f, h5ltread_dataset_int_f, h5ltread_dataset_float_f, h5ltread_dataset_double_f,&
-  h5ltget_dataset_ndims_f, &
+use H5LT, only : h5ltread_dataset_f, h5ltread_dataset_int_f, h5ltread_dataset_float_f, h5ltread_dataset_double_f,&
   h5ltread_dataset_string_f, h5ltpath_valid_f
 
 implicit none
@@ -12,42 +10,6 @@
 contains
 
 
-module procedure hdf_setup_read
-! module subroutine hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
-!   class(hdf5_file), intent(in) :: self
-!   character(*), intent(in) :: dname
-!   integer(hsize_t), intent(in) :: dims(:)
-!   integer, intent(out) :: ierr
-integer(SIZE_T) :: dsize
-integer(HSIZE_T) :: ddims(size(dims))
-integer :: dtype, drank
-
-if (.not.self%exist(dname, ierr)) return
-
-!> check for matching rank, else bad reads can occur--doesn't always crash without this check
-call h5ltget_dataset_ndims_f(self%lid, dname, drank, ierr)
-if (check(ierr, 'ERROR: get_dataset_ndim ' // dname // ' read ' // self%filename)) return
-
-if (drank /= size(dims)) then
-  write(stderr,'(A,I6,A,I6)') 'ERROR: rank mismatch ' // dname // ' = ',drank,'  variable rank =', size(dims)
-  ierr = -1
-  return
-endif
-
-!> check for matching size, else bad reads can occur.
-
-call h5ltget_dataset_info_f(self%lid, dname, ddims, dtype, dsize, ierr)
-if (check(ierr, 'ERROR: get_dataset_info ' // dname // ' read ' // self%filename)) return
-
-if(.not. all(dims == ddims)) then
-  write(stderr,*) 'ERROR: shape mismatch ' // dname // ' = ',ddims,'  variable shape =', dims
-  ierr = -1
-  return
-endif
-
-end procedure hdf_setup_read
-
-
 module procedure hdf_get_shape
 !! must get dims before info, as "dims" must be allocated or segfault occurs.
 integer(SIZE_T) :: dsize
diff --git a/src/reader.f90 b/src/reader.f90
index 28a43fb5..30cd6533 100644
--- a/src/reader.f90
+++ b/src/reader.f90
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@
 integer(HSIZE_T) :: dims(rank(value))
 dims = shape(value)
 
-call hdf_setup_read(self, dname, dims, ierr)
+call hdf_shape_check(self, dname, dims, ierr)
 if (ierr /= 0) return
 
 select type (value)