diff --git a/doc/checksums.txt b/doc/checksums.txt
index e445050..cc64077 100644
--- a/doc/checksums.txt
+++ b/doc/checksums.txt
@@ -70,12 +70,13 @@ The next block after the array begins with the checksum tag and is padded
 by 0-bytes. The tag is a single line of printable text and has the following
 format:
 
- libisofs_checksum_tag_v1 pos=... range_start=... range_size=... md5=... \n
+ libisofs_checksum_tag_v1 pos=# range_start=# range_size=# md5=# self=#\n
 
 Example:
-  libisofs_checksum_tag_v1 pos=81552 range_start=32 range_size=81520 md5=f172b994e8eb565a011d220b2a8b7a19
+libisofs_checksum_tag_v1 pos=81552 range_start=32 range_size=81520 md5=f172b994e8eb565a011d220b2a8b7a19 self=020975b2aa1189d455db2c09560b8732
 
-There are four parameters:
+There are five parameters. The first three are decimal numbers, the others
+are strings of 32 hex digits.
 
   pos=
   gives the block address where the tag supposes itself to be stored.
@@ -85,16 +86,23 @@ There are four parameters:
 
   range_start=
   The block address where the session is supposed to start. If this does not
-  match the session start on media then the image volume descriptors of the
-  image have been been relocated. (The latter can happen with overwriteable
-  media.)
+  match the session start on media then the volume descriptors of the
+  image have been relocated. (This can happen with overwriteable media. If
+  checksumming started at LBA 0 and finds range_start=32, then one has to
+  restart checksumming at LBA 32. See libburn/doc/cookbook.txt
+  "ISO 9660 multi-session emulation on overwriteable media" for background
+  information.)
 
   range_size=
   The number of blocks beginning at range_start which are covered by the
   checksum of the tag.  
 
   md5=
-  The checksum of the tag. Encoded as 32 hex digits.
+  The checksum payload of the tag as lower case hex digits.
+
+  self=
+  The MD5 checksum of the tag itself up to and including the last hex digit of
+  parameter "md5=".
   
   The newline character at the end is mandatory. For now all bytes of the
   block after that newline shall be zero. There may arise future extensions.
diff --git a/libisofs/fs_image.c b/libisofs/fs_image.c
index 4e3a11c..e22e681 100644
--- a/libisofs/fs_image.c
+++ b/libisofs/fs_image.c
@@ -3201,7 +3201,7 @@ int iso_image_import(IsoImage *image, IsoDataSource *src,
                    )
             break;
             if (i < 16) {
-                iso_msg_submit(image->id, ISO_MD5_ARRAY_CORRUPTED, 0,
+                iso_msg_submit(image->id, ISO_MD5_AREA_CORRUPTED, 0,
   "MD5 checksum array appears damaged and not trustworthy for verifications.");
                 free(image->checksum_array);
                 image->checksum_array = NULL;
diff --git a/libisofs/libisofs.h b/libisofs/libisofs.h
index 723bfb2..c5229c9 100644
--- a/libisofs/libisofs.h
+++ b/libisofs/libisofs.h
@@ -4992,7 +4992,8 @@ int iso_gzip_get_refcounts(off_t *gzip_count, off_t *gunzip_count, int flag);
 /* ---------------------------- MD5 Checksums --------------------------- */
 
 /* Production and loading of MD5 checksums is controlled by calls
-  iso_write_opts_set_record_md5() and iso_read_opts_set_no_md5()
+   iso_write_opts_set_record_md5() and iso_read_opts_set_no_md5().
+   For data representation details see doc/checksums.txt .
 */
 
 /**
@@ -5042,6 +5043,41 @@ int iso_image_get_session_md5(IsoImage *image, uint32_t *start_lba,
  */
 int iso_file_get_md5(IsoImage *image, IsoFile *file, char md5[16], int flag);
 
+/**
+ * Check a data block whether it is a libisofs session checksum tag and
+ * eventually obtain its recorded parameters. These tags get written after
+ * the checksum arrays and can be detected without loading the image tree.
+ * One may start reading and computing MD5 at the suspected image session
+ * start and look out for a session tag on the fly.
+ * @param data
+ *      A complete and aligned data block read from an ISO image session.
+ * @param pos
+ *      Returns the LBA where the tag supposes itself to be stored.
+ *      If this does not match the data block LBA then the tag might be
+ *      image data payload and should be ignored for image checksumming.
+ * @param range_start
+ *      Returns the block address where the session is supposed to start.
+ *      If this does not match the session start on media then the image
+ *      volume descriptors have been been relocated.
+ *      A proper checksum will only emerge if computing started at range_start.
+ * @param range_size
+ *      Returns the number of blocks beginning at range_start which are
+ *      covered by parameter md5.
+ * @param md5
+ *      Returns 16 byte of MD5 checksum.
+ * @return
+ *      0= not a checksum tag, return parameters are invalid
+ *      1= checksum tag found
+ *     <0= error 
+ *         return parameters are valid with error ISO_MD5_AREA_CORRUPTED
+ *         but not trustworthy because the tag seems corrupted. 
+ *
+ * @since 0.6.22
+ */
+int iso_util_decode_md5_tag(char data[2048], uint32_t *pos,
+                            uint32_t *range_start, uint32_t *range_size,
+                            char md5[16], int flag);
+
 
 /* The following functions allow to do own MD5 computations. E.g for
    comparing the result with a recorded checksum.
@@ -5366,11 +5402,11 @@ int iso_md5_end(void **md5_context, char result[16]);
 #define ISO_ZLIB_EARLY_EOF        0xE830FEA1
 
 /**
- * Checksum array appears damaged and not trustworthy for verifications.
+ * Checksum area appears damaged and not trustworthy for verifications.
  * (WARNING,HIGH, -352)
  * @since 0.6.22
 */
-#define ISO_MD5_ARRAY_CORRUPTED         0xD030FEA0
+#define ISO_MD5_AREA_CORRUPTED         0xD030FEA0
 
 
 /* ! PLACE NEW ERROR CODES HERE ! */
diff --git a/libisofs/md5.c b/libisofs/md5.c
index f0f3f67..3c0a18f 100644
--- a/libisofs/md5.c
+++ b/libisofs/md5.c
@@ -593,6 +593,17 @@ int checksum_writer_write_data(IsoImageWriter *writer)
         for (i = 0; i < 16; i++)
             sprintf(tag_block + l + 2 * i, "%2.2x",
                     ((unsigned char *) md5)[i]);
+
+        res = iso_md5_start(&ctx);
+        if (res > 0) {
+            iso_md5_compute(ctx, tag_block, l + 32);
+            iso_md5_end(&ctx, md5);
+            strcpy(tag_block + l + 32, " self=");
+            l += 32 + 6;
+            for (i = 0; i < 16; i++)
+                sprintf(tag_block + l + 2 * i, "%2.2x",
+                        ((unsigned char *) md5)[i]);
+        }
         tag_block[l + 32] = '\n';
     }
     wres = iso_write(t, tag_block, 2048);
diff --git a/libisofs/messages.c b/libisofs/messages.c
index 03bce5b..229a8dc 100644
--- a/libisofs/messages.c
+++ b/libisofs/messages.c
@@ -260,8 +260,8 @@ const char *iso_error_to_msg(int errcode)
         return "Cannot set global zisofs parameters while filters exist";
     case ISO_ZLIB_EARLY_EOF:
         return "Premature EOF of zlib input stream";
-    case ISO_MD5_ARRAY_CORRUPTED:
-        return "Checksum array appears damaged and not trustworthy for verifications";
+    case ISO_MD5_AREA_CORRUPTED:
+        return "Checksum area appears damaged and not trustworthy for verifications";
     default:
         return "Unknown error";
     }
diff --git a/libisofs/util.c b/libisofs/util.c
index 0223a04..3dccb40 100644
--- a/libisofs/util.c
+++ b/libisofs/util.c
@@ -1528,3 +1528,93 @@ int iso_util_decode_len_bytes(uint32_t *data, char *buffer, int *data_len,
 }
 
 
+int iso_util_dec_to_uint32(char *dec, uint32_t *value, int flag)
+{
+    double num;
+
+    sscanf(dec, "%lf", &num);
+    if (num < 0 || num > 4294967295.0)
+        return 0;
+    *value = num;
+    return 1;
+}
+
+
+int iso_util_hex_to_bin(char *hex, char *bin, int bin_size, int *bin_count,
+                        int flag)
+{
+    static char *allowed = {"0123456789ABCDEFabcdef"};
+    char b[3];
+    int i;
+    unsigned int u;
+
+    b[2] = 0;
+    *bin_count = 0;
+    for (i = 0; i < bin_size; i++) {
+        b[0] = hex[2 * i];
+        b[1] = hex[2 * i + 1];
+        if (strchr(allowed, b[0]) == NULL || strchr(allowed, b[1]) == NULL)
+    break;
+        sscanf(b, "%x", &u);
+        ((unsigned char *) bin)[i] = u;
+        (*bin_count)++;
+    }
+    return (*bin_count > 0);
+}
+
+
+int iso_util_decode_md5_tag(char data[2048], uint32_t *pos,
+                            uint32_t *range_start, uint32_t *range_size,
+                            char md5[16], int flag)
+{
+    static char *tag_magic= "libisofs_checksum_tag_v1 pos=";
+    static int magic_len= 29;
+    int ret, bin_count, i;
+    char *cpt, self_md5[16], tag_md5[16];
+    void *ctx = NULL;
+
+    if (strncmp(data, tag_magic, magic_len) != 0)
+      return(0);
+    cpt = data + magic_len;
+    ret = iso_util_dec_to_uint32(cpt, pos, 0);
+    if (ret <= 0)
+        return 0;
+    cpt = strstr(cpt, "range_start=");
+    if (cpt == NULL)
+        return(0);
+    ret = iso_util_dec_to_uint32(cpt + 12, range_start, 0);
+    if (ret <= 0)
+        return 0;
+    cpt = strstr(cpt, "range_size=");
+    if (cpt == NULL)
+        return(0);
+    ret = iso_util_dec_to_uint32(cpt + 11, range_size, 0);
+    if (ret <= 0)
+        return 0;
+    cpt = strstr(cpt, "md5=");
+    if (cpt == NULL)
+        return(0);
+    ret = iso_util_hex_to_bin(cpt + 4, md5, 16, &bin_count, 0);
+    if (ret <= 0 || bin_count != 16)
+        return 0;
+
+    cpt += 4 + 32;
+    ret = iso_md5_start(&ctx);
+    if (ret < 0)
+        return ret;
+    iso_md5_compute(ctx, data , cpt - data);
+    iso_md5_end(&ctx, tag_md5);
+    cpt = strstr(cpt, "self=");
+    if (cpt == NULL)
+        return(0);
+    ret = iso_util_hex_to_bin(cpt + 5, self_md5, 16, &bin_count, 0);
+    if (ret <= 0 || bin_count != 16)
+        return 0;
+    for(i= 0; i < 16; i++)
+      if(self_md5[i] != tag_md5[i])
+        return ISO_MD5_AREA_CORRUPTED;
+    if (*(cpt + 5 + 32) != '\n')
+        return 0;
+    return(1);
+}
+