diff --git a/openbr/core/core.cpp b/openbr/core/core.cpp
index c827045..0b56d71 100644
--- a/openbr/core/core.cpp
+++ b/openbr/core/core.cpp
@@ -207,38 +207,6 @@ struct AlgorithmCore
         data >> *transform;
     }
 
-    // Read metadata for all templates stored in the specified gallery, return the read
-    // TeamplateList. If the gallery contains matrices, they are dropped.
-    void emptyRead(const File & file, TemplateList & templates)
-    {
-        // Is this a gallery type containing matrices?
-        if ((QStringList() << "gal" << "mem" << "template").contains(file.suffix())) {
-            // Retrieve it block by block, dropping matrices from read templates.
-            QScopedPointer<Gallery> gallery(Gallery::make(file));
-            gallery->set_readBlockSize(10);
-            bool done = false;
-            while (!done)
-            {
-                TemplateList tList = gallery->readBlock(&done);
-                for (int i=0; i < tList.size();i++)
-                {
-                    tList[i].clear();
-                    templates.append(tList[i]);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        else {
-            // The file may have already been enrolled to a memory gallery
-            emptyRead(getMemoryGallery(file), templates);
-            if (!templates.empty())
-                return;
-
-            // Nope, just retrieve the metadata
-            QScopedPointer<Gallery> gallery(Gallery::make(file));
-            templates = gallery->read();
-        }
-    }
-
     void retrieveOrEnroll(const File &file, QScopedPointer<Gallery> &gallery, FileList &galleryFiles)
     {
         if (!file.getBool("enroll") && (QStringList() << "gal" << "mem" << "template").contains(file.suffix())) {
@@ -378,32 +346,13 @@ struct AlgorithmCore
 
         // To decide which gallery is larger, we need to read both, but at this point we just want the
         // metadata, and don't need the enrolled matrices.
-        TemplateList targetMetadata;
-        TemplateList queryMetadata;
+        FileList targetMetadata;
+        FileList queryMetadata;
 
         // Emptyread reads a gallery, and discards any matrices present, keeping only the metadata.
         emptyRead(targetGallery, targetMetadata);
         emptyRead(queryGallery, queryMetadata);
 
-        // We store the metadata for the target and query sets as separate memory galleries.
-        // This is necessary because we need to intialize the Output with this data, but we don't
-        // create the Output directly in this function (going instead through OutputTransform)
-        File targetMetaMem = targetGallery;
-        targetMetaMem.name = name + targetMetaMem.baseName()+ "_meta" + targetMetaMem.hash()+ ".mem";
-        File queryMetaMem =  queryGallery;
-        queryMetaMem.name = name  + queryMetaMem.baseName() + "_meta" + queryMetaMem.hash() + ".mem";
-
-
-
-        // Store the metadata in memory galleries.
-        QScopedPointer<Gallery> targetMeta(Gallery::make(targetMetaMem));
-        if (targetMeta->files().isEmpty() )
-            targetMeta->writeBlock(targetMetadata);
-        
-        QScopedPointer<Gallery> queryMeta(Gallery::make(queryMetaMem));
-        if (queryMeta->files().isEmpty())
-            queryMeta->writeBlock(queryMetadata);
-
 
         // Is the target or query set larger? We will use the larger as the rows of our comparison matrix (and transpose the output if necessary)
         transposeMode = targetMetadata.size() > queryMetadata.size();
@@ -524,7 +473,7 @@ struct AlgorithmCore
         // The output transform takes the metadata memGalleries we set up previously as input, along with the
         // output specification we were passed. Gallery metadata is necessary for some Outputs to function correctly.
         QString outputString = output.flat().isEmpty() ? "Empty" : output.flat();
-        QString outputRegionDesc = "Output("+ outputString +"," + targetMetaMem.flat() +"," + queryMetaMem.flat() + ","+ QString::number(transposeMode ? 1 : 0) + ")";
+        QString outputRegionDesc = "Output("+ outputString +"," + targetGallery.flat() +"," + queryGallery.flat() + ","+ QString::number(transposeMode ? 1 : 0) + ")";
         // The ProgressCounter transform will simply provide a display about the number of rows completed.
         outputRegionDesc += "+ProgressCounter("+QString::number(rowSize)+")+Discard";
         QScopedPointer<Transform> outputTform(Transform::make(outputRegionDesc, NULL));
@@ -770,4 +719,5 @@ QSharedPointer<br::Distance> br::Distance::fromAlgorithm(const QString &algorith
     return AlgorithmManager::getAlgorithm(algorithm)->distance;
 }
 
+
 #include "core.moc"
diff --git a/openbr/plugins/gallery.cpp b/openbr/plugins/gallery.cpp
index e1e2144..d427e8e 100644
--- a/openbr/plugins/gallery.cpp
+++ b/openbr/plugins/gallery.cpp
@@ -393,6 +393,49 @@ class memGallery : public Gallery
 
 BR_REGISTER(Gallery, memGallery)
 
+void emptyRead(const File & file, FileList & fileData, bool cache)
+{
+    File targetMeta = file;
+    targetMeta.name = targetMeta.path() + targetMeta.baseName() + "_meta" + targetMeta.hash() + ".mem";
+
+    // Did we already read the data?
+    if (MemoryGalleries::galleries.contains(targetMeta))
+    {
+        fileData = MemoryGalleries::galleries[targetMeta].files();
+        return;
+    }
+
+    TemplateList templates;
+    // OK we read the data in some form, does the gallery type containing matrices?
+    if ((QStringList() << "gal" << "mem" << "template").contains(file.suffix())) {
+        // Retrieve it block by block, dropping matrices from read templates.
+        QScopedPointer<Gallery> gallery(Gallery::make(file));
+        gallery->set_readBlockSize(10);
+        bool done = false;
+        while (!done)
+        {
+            TemplateList tList = gallery->readBlock(&done);
+            for (int i=0; i < tList.size();i++)
+            {
+                tList[i].clear();
+                templates.append(tList[i].file);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    else {
+        // this is a gallery format that doesn't include matrices, so we can just read it
+        QScopedPointer<Gallery> gallery(Gallery::make(file));
+        templates= gallery->read();
+    }
+
+    if (cache)
+    {
+        QScopedPointer<Gallery> memOutput(Gallery::make(targetMeta));
+        memOutput->writeBlock(templates);
+    }
+    fileData = templates.files();
+}
+
 /*!
  * \ingroup galleries
  * \brief Treats each line as a file.
diff --git a/openbr/plugins/misc.cpp b/openbr/plugins/misc.cpp
index eee78ca..547e453 100644
--- a/openbr/plugins/misc.cpp
+++ b/openbr/plugins/misc.cpp
@@ -636,11 +636,10 @@ class OutputTransform : public TimeVaryingTransform
         if (targetName.isEmpty() || queryName.isEmpty() || outputString.isEmpty())
             return;
 
-        QScopedPointer<Gallery> tGallery(Gallery::make(targetName));
-        QScopedPointer<Gallery> qGallery(Gallery::make(queryName));
-
-        FileList targetFiles = tGallery->files();
-        FileList queryFiles  = qGallery->files();
+        FileList targetFiles;
+        FileList queryFiles;
+        emptyRead(targetName, targetFiles, false);
+        emptyRead(queryName, queryFiles, false);
 
         currentBlockRow = 0;
         currentBlockCol = 0;
diff --git a/openbr/plugins/openbr_internal.h b/openbr/plugins/openbr_internal.h
index 98fab50..ad80050 100644
--- a/openbr/plugins/openbr_internal.h
+++ b/openbr/plugins/openbr_internal.h
@@ -314,6 +314,11 @@ struct WorkerProcess
     void mainLoop();
 };
 
+
+// Read metadata for all templates stored in the specified gallery, return the read
+// TeamplateList. If the gallery contains matrices, they are dropped.
+void emptyRead(const File & file, FileList & templates, bool cache = true);
+
 }
 
 #endif // OPENBR_INTERNAL_H