diff --git a/nd2reader/reader.py b/nd2reader/reader.py
index fecf17f..1b1401d 100644
--- a/nd2reader/reader.py
+++ b/nd2reader/reader.py
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ field_of_view = namedtuple('FOV', ['number', 'x', 'y', 'z', 'pfs_offset'])
 
 
 class Nd2FileReader(object):
+    CHUNK_HEADER = 0xabeceda
+    CHUNK_MAP_START = "ND2 FILEMAP SIGNATURE NAME 0001!"
+    CHUNK_MAP_END = "ND2 CHUNK MAP SIGNATURE 0000001!"
+    
     """
     Reads .nd2 files, provides an interface to the metadata, and generates numpy arrays from the image data.
 
@@ -23,12 +27,17 @@ class Nd2FileReader(object):
         self._file_handler = None
         self._channel_offset = None
         self._chunk_map_start_location = None
+        self._cursor_position = None
         self._label_map = {}
         self._metadata = {}
         self._read_map()
-        self._parse_dict_data()
+        self._parse_metadata()
         self.__dimensions = None
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def as_numpy_array(arr):
+        return np.frombuffer(arr)
+
     def get_image(self, time_index, fov, channel_name, z_level):
         image_set_number = self._calculate_image_set_number(time_index, fov, z_level)
         timestamp, raw_image_data = self.get_raw_image_data(image_set_number, self.channel_offset[channel_name])
@@ -168,14 +177,13 @@ class Nd2FileReader(object):
         image_data_start = 4 + channel_offset
         return timestamp, image_data[image_data_start::self.channel_count]
 
-    def _parse_dict_data(self):
-        # TODO: Don't like this name
+    def _parse_metadata(self):
         for label in self._label_map.keys():
             if not label.endswith("LV!") or "LV|" in label:
                 continue
             data = self._read_chunk(self._label_map[label])
             stop = label.index("LV")
-            self._metadata[label[:stop]] = self.read_lv_encoding(data, 1)
+            self._metadata[label[:stop]] = self._read_file(data, 1)
 
     def _read_map(self):
         """
@@ -188,13 +196,13 @@ class Nd2FileReader(object):
         chunk_map_start_location = struct.unpack("Q", self.fh.read(8))[0]
         self.fh.seek(chunk_map_start_location)
         raw_text = self.fh.read(-1)
-        label_start = raw_text.index("ND2 FILEMAP SIGNATURE NAME 0001!") + 32
+        label_start = raw_text.index(Nd2FileReader.CHUNK_MAP_START) + 32
 
         while True:
             data_start = raw_text.index("!", label_start) + 1
             key = raw_text[label_start: data_start]
             location, length = struct.unpack("QQ", raw_text[data_start: data_start + 16])
-            if key == "ND2 CHUNK MAP SIGNATURE 0000001!":
+            if key == Nd2FileReader.CHUNK_MAP_END:
                 # We've reached the end of the chunk map
                 break
             self._label_map[key] = location
@@ -209,58 +217,73 @@ class Nd2FileReader(object):
         # The chunk metadata is always 16 bytes long
         chunk_metadata = self.fh.read(16)
         header, relative_offset, data_length = struct.unpack("IIQ", chunk_metadata)
-        if header != 0xabeceda:
+        if header != Nd2FileReader.CHUNK_HEADER:
             raise ValueError("The ND2 file seems to be corrupted.")
         # We start at the location of the chunk metadata, skip over the metadata, and then proceed to the
         # start of the actual data field, which is at some arbitrary place after the metadata.
         self.fh.seek(chunk_location + 16 + relative_offset)
         return self.fh.read(data_length)
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def as_numpy_array(arr):
-        return np.frombuffer(arr)
-
     def _z_level_count(self):
         name = "CustomData|Z!"
         st = self._read_chunk(self._label_map[name])
-        res = array.array("d", st)
-        return len(res)
-
-    def read_lv_encoding(self, data, count):
+        return len(array.array("d", st))
+
+    def _parse_unsigned_char(self, data):
+        return struct.unpack("B", data.read(1))[0]
+
+    def _parse_unsigned_int(self, data):
+        return struct.unpack("I", data.read(4))[0]
+
+    def _parse_unsigned_long(self, data):
+        return struct.unpack("Q", data.read(8))[0]
+
+    def _parse_double(self, data):
+        return struct.unpack("d", data.read(8))[0]
+
+    def _parse_string(self, data):
+        value = data.read(2)
+        while not value.endswith("\x00\x00"):
+            # the string ends at the first instance of \x00\x00
+            value += data.read(2)
+        return value.decode("utf16")[:-1].encode("utf8")
+
+    def _parse_char_array(self, data):
+        array_length = struct.unpack("Q", data.read(8))[0]
+        return array.array("B", data.read(array_length))
+
+    def _parse_metadata_item(self, args):
+        data, cursor_position = args
+        new_count, length = struct.unpack("<IQ", data.read(12))
+        length -= data.tell() - cursor_position
+        next_data_length = data.read(length)
+        value = self._read_file(next_data_length, new_count)
+        # Skip some offsets
+        data.read(new_count * 8)
+        return value
+
+    def _get_value(self, data, data_type):
+        parser = {1: {'method': self._parse_unsigned_char, 'args': data},
+                  2: {'method': self._parse_unsigned_int, 'args': data},
+                  3: {'method': self._parse_unsigned_int, 'args': data},
+                  5: {'method': self._parse_unsigned_long, 'args': data},
+                  6: {'method': self._parse_double, 'args': data},
+                  8: {'method': self._parse_string, 'args': data},
+                  9: {'method': self._parse_char_array, 'args': data},
+                  11: {'method': self._parse_metadata_item, 'args': (data, self._cursor_position)}}
+        return parser[data_type]['method'](parser[data_type]['args'])
+
+    def _read_file(self, data, count):
         data = StringIO(data)
         metadata = {}
-        total_count = 0
         for _ in xrange(count):
-            cursor_position = data.tell()
-            total_count += 1
+            self._cursor_position = data.tell()
             header = data.read(2)
             if not header:
                 break
             data_type, name_length = map(ord, header)
             name = data.read(name_length * 2).decode("utf16")[:-1].encode("utf8")
-            if data_type == 1:
-                value, = struct.unpack("B", data.read(1))
-            elif data_type in [2, 3]:
-                value, = struct.unpack("I", data.read(4))
-            elif data_type == 5:
-                value, = struct.unpack("Q", data.read(8))
-            elif data_type == 6:
-                value, = struct.unpack("d", data.read(8))
-            elif data_type == 8:
-                value = data.read(2)
-                while value[-2:] != "\x00\x00":
-                    value += data.read(2)
-                value = value.decode("utf16")[:-1].encode("utf8")
-            elif data_type == 9:
-                cnt, = struct.unpack("Q", data.read(8))
-                value = array.array("B", data.read(cnt))
-            elif data_type == 11:
-                new_count, length = struct.unpack("<IQ", data.read(12))
-                length -= data.tell() - cursor_position
-                next_data_length = data.read(length)
-                value = self.read_lv_encoding(next_data_length, new_count)
-                # Skip some offsets
-                data.read(new_count * 8)
+            value = self._get_value(data, data_type)
             if name not in metadata:
                 metadata[name] = value
             else:
@@ -271,6 +294,4 @@ class Nd2FileReader(object):
                 # We've encountered this key before so we're guaranteed to be dealing with a list. Thus we append
                 # the value to the already-existing list.
                 metadata[name].append(value)
-        # x = data.read()
-        # assert not x, "skip %d %s" % (len(x), repr(x[:30]))
         return metadata
\ No newline at end of file