diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 5620650..2ebaa0c 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -58,18 +58,11 @@ github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-uri v0.2.0/go.mod h1:8eaDVcc4v+HHHEDaRbApd
 github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-uri v1.0.1/go.mod h1:8eaDVcc4v+HHHEDaRbApdmhPwM4/JQllw2PktvZcPVs=
 github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-uri v1.1.0 h1:kNYOmKSm3u2asUOeq7yXL1Q8gFKkPIl8A0qinKrGV/8=
 github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-uri v1.1.0/go.mod h1:8eaDVcc4v+HHHEDaRbApdmhPwM4/JQllw2PktvZcPVs=
-github.com/whosonfirst/warning v0.1.0/go.mod h1:cAez7FpC/UEUrbiOXZO15v2JM8eijtFHQlN93AGFy1k=
 github.com/whosonfirst/warning v0.1.1/go.mod h1:/unEMzhB9YaMeEwTJpzLN3kM5LiSxdJhKEsf/OQhn6s=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20190308221718-c2843e01d9a2/go.mod h1:djNgcEr1/C05ACkg1iLfiJU5Ep61QUkGW8qpdssI0+w=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180218175443-cbe0f9307d01/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190311183353-d8887717615a/go.mod h1:t9HGtf8HONx5eT2rtn7q6eTqICYqUVnKs3thJo3Qplg=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200202094626-16171245cfb2/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
-golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200324143707-d3edc9973b7e/go.mod h1:qpuaurCH72eLCgpAm/N6yyVIVM9cpaDIP3A8BGJEC5A=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200323222414-85ca7c5b95cd/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.0/go.mod h1:NqM8EUOU14njkJ3fqMW+pc6Ldnwhi/IjpwHt7yyuwOQ=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190328211700-ab21143f2384/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20191204190536-9bdfabe68543/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
-gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
 gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.42.0/go.mod h1:pNLf8WUiyNEtQjuu5G5vTm06TEv9tsIgeAvK8hOrP4k=
-gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
diff --git a/spr.go b/spr.go
index 66c0907..e28af5d 100644
--- a/spr.go
+++ b/spr.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package spr
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"database/sql"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/aaronland/go-sqlite"
 	sqlite_database "github.com/aaronland/go-sqlite/database"
@@ -185,18 +186,46 @@ func RetrieveSPR(ctx context.Context, spr_db *sqlite_database.SQLiteDatabase, sp
 
 	spr_q := fmt.Sprintf(`SELECT 
 		id, parent_id, name, placetype,
-		country, repo,
 		inception, cessation,
+		country, repo,
 		latitude, longitude,
 		min_latitude, min_longitude,
 		max_latitude, max_longitude,
-		is_current, is_deprecated, is_ceased,
-		is_superseded, is_superseding,
+		is_current, is_deprecated, is_ceased,is_superseded, is_superseding,
 		supersedes, superseded_by, belongsto,
+		is_alt, alt_label,
 		lastmodified
 	FROM %s WHERE id = ? AND alt_label = ?`, spr_table.Name())
 
 	row := conn.QueryRowContext(ctx, spr_q, args...)
+	return RetrieveSPRWithRow(ctx, row)
+}
+
+// See notes below
+
+func RetrieveSPRWithRow(ctx context.Context, row *sql.Row) (wof_spr.StandardPlacesResult, error) {
+	return retrieveSPRWithScanner(ctx, row)
+}
+
+// See notes below
+
+func RetrieveSPRWithRows(ctx context.Context, rows *sql.Rows) (wof_spr.StandardPlacesResult, error) {
+	return retrieveSPRWithScanner(ctx, rows)
+}
+
+// We go to the trouble of all this indirection because neither *sql.Row or *sql.Rows implement
+// the sql.Scanner interface.
+// The latter expects: Scan(src interface{}) error
+// But the former pxpect: Scan(src ...interface{}) error
+
+func retrieveSPRWithScanner(ctx context.Context, scanner interface{}) (wof_spr.StandardPlacesResult, error) {
+
+	switch scanner.(type) {
+	case *sql.Row, *sql.Rows:
+		// pass
+	default:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unsupported scanner")
+	}
 
 	var spr_id string
 	var parent_id string
@@ -228,19 +257,51 @@ func RetrieveSPR(ctx context.Context, spr_db *sqlite_database.SQLiteDatabase, sp
 	var str_superseded_by string
 	var str_belongs_to string
 
+	var is_alt int64
+	var alt_label string
+
 	var lastmodified int64
 
 	// supersedes and superseding need to be added here pending
 	// https://github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-sqlite-features/issues/14
 
-	err = row.Scan(
-		&spr_id, &parent_id, &name, &placetype, &country, &repo,
-		&inception, &cessation,
-		&latitude, &longitude, &min_latitude, &max_latitude, &min_longitude, &max_longitude,
-		&is_current, &is_deprecated, &is_ceased, &is_superseded, &is_superseding,
-		&str_supersedes, &str_superseded_by, &str_belongs_to,
-		&lastmodified,
-	)
+	var scanner_err error
+
+	switch scanner.(type) {
+	case *sql.Rows:
+
+		scanner_err = scanner.(*sql.Rows).Scan(
+			&spr_id, &parent_id, &name, &placetype,
+			&inception, &cessation,
+			&country, &repo,
+			&latitude, &longitude,
+			&min_latitude, &max_latitude, &min_longitude, &max_longitude,
+			&is_current, &is_deprecated, &is_ceased, &is_superseded, &is_superseding,
+			&str_supersedes, &str_superseded_by, &str_belongs_to,
+			&is_alt, &alt_label,
+			&lastmodified,
+		)
+
+	default:
+
+		scanner_err = scanner.(*sql.Row).Scan(
+			&spr_id, &parent_id, &name, &placetype,
+			&inception, &cessation,
+			&country, &repo,
+			&latitude, &longitude,
+			&min_latitude, &max_latitude, &min_longitude, &max_longitude,
+			&is_current, &is_deprecated, &is_ceased, &is_superseded, &is_superseding,
+			&str_supersedes, &str_superseded_by, &str_belongs_to,
+			&is_alt, &alt_label,
+			&lastmodified,
+		)
+	}
+
+	if scanner_err != nil {
+		return nil, scanner_err
+	}
+
+	id, err := strconv.ParseInt(spr_id, 10, 64)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err