diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index df77482c870..6c47eb03d45 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,14 +3,22 @@ project(torchvision)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
 
 find_package(Torch REQUIRED)
+find_package(OpenCV REQUIRED COMPONENTS core imgproc imgcodecs)
+
+file(GLOB HEADERS torchvision/csrc/vision.h torchvision/csrc/general.h)
 
-file(GLOB HEADERS torchvision/csrc/vision.h)
 file(GLOB MODELS_HEADERS torchvision/csrc/models/*.h)
 file(GLOB MODELS_SOURCES torchvision/csrc/models/*.h torchvision/csrc/models/*.cpp)
 
-add_library (${PROJECT_NAME} SHARED ${MODELS_SOURCES})
+file(GLOB DATASETS_HEADERS torchvision/csrc/datasets/*.h)
+file(GLOB DATASETS_SOURCES torchvision/csrc/datasets/*.h torchvision/csrc/datasets/*.cpp)
+
+add_library (${PROJECT_NAME} SHARED ${MODELS_SOURCES} ${DATASETS_SOURCES})
+target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE "${OpenCV_LIBS}")
 target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC "${TORCH_LIBRARIES}")
 
 install(TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/lib)
 install(FILES ${HEADERS} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/include/${PROJECT_NAME})
 install(FILES ${MODELS_HEADERS} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/include/${PROJECT_NAME}/models)
+#install(FILES ${DATASETS_HEADERS} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/include/${PROJECT_NAME}/datasets)
+
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.cpp b/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..795b5e2dd25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#include "datasetsimpl.h"
+
+#include <dirent.h>
+#include <opencv2/opencv.hpp>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+
+namespace vision {
+namespace datasets {
+namespace datasetsimpl {
+std::vector<std::string> lsdir(const std::string& path) {
+  std::vector<std::string> list;
+  auto dp = opendir(path.c_str());
+
+  if (dp != nullptr) {
+    auto ep = readdir(dp);
+
+    while (ep != nullptr) {
+      std::string name = ep->d_name;
+      if (name != "." && name != "..")
+        list.emplace_back(std::move(name));
+    }
+
+    closedir(dp);
+  }
+
+  return list;
+}
+
+std::string tolower(std::string str) {
+  std::transform(str.begin(), str.end(), str.begin(), ::tolower);
+  return str;
+}
+
+inline bool comp(const std::string& A, const std::string& B) {
+  return tolower(A) < tolower(B);
+};
+
+void sort_names(std::vector<std::string>& data) {
+  std::sort(data.begin(), data.end(), comp);
+}
+
+bool isdir(const std::string& path) {
+  struct stat st;
+  if (stat(path.c_str(), &st) == 0)
+    return st.st_mode & S_IFDIR;
+  return false;
+}
+
+bool isfile(const std::string& path) {
+  struct stat st;
+  if (stat(path.c_str(), &st) == 0)
+    return st.st_mode & S_IFREG;
+  return false;
+}
+
+bool exists(const std::string& path) {
+  struct stat st;
+  return stat(path.c_str(), &st) == 0;
+}
+
+torch::Tensor read_image(const std::string& path) {
+  auto mat = cv::imread(path);
+  TORCH_CHECK(!mat.empty(), "Failed to read image \"", path, "\".");
+
+  cv::cvtColor(mat, mat, cv::COLOR_BGR2RGB);
+  std::vector<torch::Tensor> tensors;
+  std::vector<cv::Mat> channels(size_t(mat.channels()));
+  cv::split(mat, channels);
+
+  for (auto& channel : channels)
+    tensors.push_back(
+        torch::from_blob(channel.ptr(), {mat.rows, mat.cols}, torch::kUInt8));
+
+  auto output = torch::cat(tensors)
+                    .view({mat.channels(), mat.rows, mat.cols})
+                    .to(torch::kFloat);
+  return output / 255;
+}
+
+std::string absolute_path(const std::string& path) {
+  char rpath[PATH_MAX];
+  realpath(path.c_str(), rpath);
+  return std::string(rpath);
+}
+
+} // namespace datasetsimpl
+} // namespace datasets
+} // namespace vision
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.h b/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9b446a81574
--- /dev/null
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/datasets/datasetsimpl.h
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#ifndef DATASETSIMPL_H
+#define DATASETSIMPL_H
+
+#include <torch/torch.h>
+
+#ifndef TORCH_CHECK
+#define TORCH_CHECK AT_CHECK
+#endif
+
+namespace vision {
+namespace datasets {
+namespace datasetsimpl {
+
+std::vector<std::string> lsdir(const std::string& path);
+
+std::string tolower(std::string str);
+
+void sort_names(std::vector<std::string>& data);
+
+bool isdir(const std::string& path);
+
+bool isfile(const std::string& path);
+
+bool exists(const std::string& path);
+
+std::string absolute_path(const std::string& path);
+
+inline std::string join(const std::string& str) {
+  return str;
+}
+template <typename... Tail>
+inline std::string join(const std::string& head, Tail&&... tail) {
+  return head + "/" + join(std::forward<Tail>(tail)...);
+}
+
+torch::Tensor read_image(const std::string& path);
+
+} // namespace datasetsimpl
+} // namespace datasets
+} // namespace vision
+
+#endif // DATASETSIMPL_H
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/general.h b/torchvision/csrc/general.h
similarity index 100%
rename from torchvision/csrc/models/general.h
rename to torchvision/csrc/general.h
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/alexnet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/alexnet.h
index 813531fb383..4c164da64d0 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/alexnet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/alexnet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define ALEXNET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/densenet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/densenet.h
index 3ed6eba0837..f758b70ab1e 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/densenet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/densenet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define DENSENET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/googlenet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/googlenet.h
index 94390fd5070..4bf334939ac 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/googlenet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/googlenet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define GOOGLENET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/inception.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/inception.h
index d4edcbadd47..c01bfb5c0b8 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/inception.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/inception.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define INCEPTION_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/mnasnet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/mnasnet.h
index e499a7df987..86ae177f4a7 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/mnasnet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/mnasnet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define MNASNET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/mobilenet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/mobilenet.h
index e69f840a4c9..7bbf63925a0 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/mobilenet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/mobilenet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define MOBILENET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/resnet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/resnet.h
index ae9f4613ebe..774fe52a206 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/resnet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/resnet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define RESNET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/shufflenetv2.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/shufflenetv2.h
index 0e357f2ce7d..000e4a2b37a 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/shufflenetv2.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/shufflenetv2.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define SHUFFLENETV2_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/squeezenet.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/squeezenet.h
index 298f1f04095..8b74e056f43 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/squeezenet.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/squeezenet.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define SQUEEZENET_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {
diff --git a/torchvision/csrc/models/vgg.h b/torchvision/csrc/models/vgg.h
index cc9f98aea77..e48c1d078b3 100644
--- a/torchvision/csrc/models/vgg.h
+++ b/torchvision/csrc/models/vgg.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #define VGG_H
 
 #include <torch/torch.h>
-#include "general.h"
+#include "../general.h"
 
 namespace vision {
 namespace models {