Implements import() and export() standard generics for importing and exporting biological data formats. import() supports whole-file as well as chunk-wise iterative import. The import() interface optionally provides a standard mechanism for 'lazy' access via filter() (on row or element-like components of the file resource), select() (on column-like components of the file resource) and collect(). The import() interface optionally provides transparent access to remote (e.g. via https) as well as local access. Developers can register a file extension, e.g., .loom for dispatch from character-based URIs to specific import() / export() methods based on classes representing file types, e.g., LoomFile().