diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6805180
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*.file binary
+*.zip binary
diff --git a/importlib_resources/__init__.py b/importlib_resources/__init__.py
index 36cf5e1c..a0683e1f 100644
--- a/importlib_resources/__init__.py
+++ b/importlib_resources/__init__.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 from typing import Iterator, Union
 from typing.io import BinaryIO
 
+from . import abc as resources_abc
+
 
 Package = Union[types.ModuleType, str]
 if sys.version_info >= (3, 6):
@@ -47,27 +49,33 @@ def open(package: Package, file_name: FileName) -> BinaryIO:
     """Return a file-like object opened for binary-reading of the resource."""
     file_name = _normalize_path(file_name)
     package = _get_package(package)
-    # Using pathlib doesn't work well here due to the lack of 'strict' argument
-    # for pathlib.Path.resolve() prior to Python 3.6.
-    absolute_package_path = os.path.abspath(package.__spec__.origin)
-    package_path = os.path.dirname(absolute_package_path)
-    full_path = os.path.join(package_path, file_name)
-    try:
-        return builtins.open(full_path, 'rb')
-    except IOError:
-        # Just assume the loader is a resource loader; all the relevant
-        # importlib.machinery loaders are and an AttributeError for get_data()
-        # will make it clear what is needed from the loader.
-        loader = typing.cast(importlib.abc.ResourceLoader,
+    if hasattr(package.__spec__.loader, 'open_resource'):
+        reader = typing.cast(resources_abc.ResourceReader,
                              package.__spec__.loader)
+        return reader.open_resource(file_name)
+    else:
+        # Using pathlib doesn't work well here due to the lack of 'strict'
+        # argument for pathlib.Path.resolve() prior to Python 3.6.
+        absolute_package_path = os.path.abspath(package.__spec__.origin)
+        package_path = os.path.dirname(absolute_package_path)
+        full_path = os.path.join(package_path, file_name)
         try:
-            data = loader.get_data(full_path)
+            return builtins.open(full_path, 'rb')
         except IOError:
-            package_name = package.__spec__.name
-            message = '{!r} resource not found in {!r}'.format(file_name, package_name)
-            raise FileNotFoundError(message)
-        else:
-            return io.BytesIO(data)
+            # Just assume the loader is a resource loader; all the relevant
+            # importlib.machinery loaders are and an AttributeError for
+            # get_data() will make it clear what is needed from the loader.
+            loader = typing.cast(importlib.abc.ResourceLoader,
+                                package.__spec__.loader)
+            try:
+                data = loader.get_data(full_path)
+            except IOError:
+                package_name = package.__spec__.name
+                message = '{!r} resource not found in {!r}'.format(file_name,
+                                                                   package_name)
+                raise FileNotFoundError(message)
+            else:
+                return io.BytesIO(data)
 
 
 def read(package: Package, file_name: FileName, encoding: str = 'utf-8',
@@ -98,14 +106,24 @@ def path(package: Package, file_name: FileName) -> Iterator[pathlib.Path]:
     raised if the file was deleted prior to the context manager
     exiting).
     """
-    normalized_path = _normalize_path(file_name)
+    file_name = _normalize_path(file_name)
     package = _get_package(package)
+    if hasattr(package.__spec__.loader, 'resource_path'):
+        reader = typing.cast(resources_abc.ResourceReader,
+                             package.__spec__.loader)
+        try:
+            yield pathlib.Path(reader.resource_path(file_name))
+            return
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            pass
+    # Fall-through for both the lack of resource_path() *and* if resource_path()
+    # raises FileNotFoundError.
     package_directory = pathlib.Path(package.__spec__.origin).parent
-    file_path = package_directory / normalized_path
+    file_path = package_directory / file_name
     if file_path.exists():
         yield file_path
     else:
-        with open(package, normalized_path) as file:
+        with open(package, file_name) as file:
             data = file.read()
         # Not using tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile as it leads to deeper 'try'
         # blocks due to the need to close the temporary file to work on
diff --git a/importlib_resources/abc.py b/importlib_resources/abc.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8975cbf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/importlib_resources/abc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import abc
+from typing.io import BinaryIO
+
+
+class ResourceReader(abc.ABC):
+
+    """Abstract base class for loaders to provide resource reading support."""
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def open_resource(self, path: str) -> BinaryIO:
+        """Return an opened, file-like object for binary reading of the resource.
+
+        The 'path' argument is expected to represent only a file name.
+        If the resource cannot be found, FileNotFoundError is raised.
+        """
+        raise FileNotFoundError
+
+    def resource_path(self, path: str) -> str:
+        """Return the file system path to the specified resource.
+
+        The 'path' argument is expected to represent only a file name.
+        If the resource does not exist on the file system, raise
+        FileNotFoundError.
+        """
+        raise FileNotFoundError
diff --git a/importlib_resources/tests/util.py b/importlib_resources/tests/util.py
index 0340b45b..6b00fcb7 100644
--- a/importlib_resources/tests/util.py
+++ b/importlib_resources/tests/util.py
@@ -1,12 +1,43 @@
 import abc
 import importlib
+import importlib.machinery
+import io
 import pathlib
 import sys
+import types
 import unittest
 
+from .. import abc as resources_abc
 from . import data
 
 
+def create_package(*, file, path):
+    class Reader(resources_abc.ResourceReader):
+        def open_resource(self, path):
+            self._path = path
+            if isinstance(file, Exception):
+                raise file
+            else:
+                return file
+
+        def resource_path(self, path_):
+            self._path = path_
+            if isinstance(path, Exception):
+                raise path
+            else:
+                return path
+
+    name = 'testingpackage'
+    spec = importlib.machinery.ModuleSpec(name, Reader(),
+                                          origin='does-not-exist',
+                                          is_package=True)
+    # Unforunately importlib.util.module_from_spec() was not introduced until
+    # Python 3.5.
+    module = types.ModuleType(name)
+    module.__spec__ = spec
+    return module
+
+
 class CommonTests(abc.ABC):
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
@@ -54,6 +85,25 @@ def test_non_package(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
             self.execute(__spec__.name, 'utf-8.file')
 
+    def test_resource_opener(self):
+        data = io.BytesIO(b'Hello, world!')
+        package = create_package(file=data, path=FileNotFoundError())
+        self.execute(package, 'utf-8.file')
+        self.assertEqual(package.__spec__.loader._path, 'utf-8.file')
+
+    def test_resource_path(self):
+        data = io.BytesIO(b'Hello, world!')
+        path = __file__
+        package = create_package(file=data, path=path)
+        self.execute(package, 'utf-8.file')
+        self.assertEqual(package.__spec__.loader._path, 'utf-8.file')
+
+    def test_useless_loader(self):
+        package = create_package(file=FileNotFoundError(),
+                                 path=FileNotFoundError())
+        with self.assertRaises(FileNotFoundError):
+            self.execute(package, 'utf-8.file')
+
 
 class ZipSetup: