diff --git a/headers/private/textencoding/CharacterSetRoster.h b/headers/private/textencoding/CharacterSetRoster.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bfe100b89b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/headers/private/textencoding/CharacterSetRoster.h
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#ifndef CHARACTER_SET_ROSTER_H
+#define CHARACTER_SET_ROSTER_H
+
+#include <SupportDefs.h>
+#include <Messenger.h>
+
+namespace BPrivate {
+
+/**
+ * @file   BCharacterSetRoster.h
+ * @author Andrew Bachmann
+ * @brief  Defines BCharacterSetRoster
+ *
+ * @see BCharacterSet.h
+ **/
+
+class BCharacterSet;
+
+class BCharacterSetRoster {
+    /**
+     * @class BCharacterSetRoster
+     * @brief An object for finding or enumerating character sets
+     **/
+public:
+    /**
+     * @brief initialize the roster to the first character set
+     **/
+    BCharacterSetRoster();
+    virtual ~BCharacterSetRoster();
+    
+    /**
+     * @brief get the next available character set
+     * @return B_NO_ERROR if it's valid, B_BAD_VALUE if it is not
+     **/
+    status_t GetNextCharacterSet(BCharacterSet * charset);
+    /**
+     * @brief resets the iterator to the first character set
+     * @return B_NO_ERROR if it's valid, B_BAD_VALUE if it is not
+     **/
+    status_t RewindCharacterSets();
+    
+    /**
+     * @brief register BMessenger to receive notifications of character set events
+     * @return B_NO_ERROR if watching was okay, B_BAD_VALUE if poorly formed BMessenger
+     **/
+    static status_t StartWatching(BMessenger target);
+    /**
+     * @brief stop sending notifications to BMessenger
+     * @return B_NO_ERROR if stopping went okay, B_BAD_VALUE if poorly formed BMessenger
+     **/
+    static status_t StopWatching(BMessenger target);
+    
+    /**
+     * @brief return the character set with the given font id, or NULL if none exists
+     * This function executes in constant time.
+     * @return the character set with the given font id, or NULL if none exists
+     **/
+    static const BCharacterSet * GetCharacterSetByFontID(uint32 id);
+    /**
+     * @brief return the character set with the given conversion id, or NULL if none exists
+     * This function executes in constant time.
+     * @return the character set with the given conversion id, or NULL if none exists
+     **/
+    static const BCharacterSet * GetCharacterSetByConversionID(uint32 id);
+    /**
+     * @brief return the character set with the given MIB enum, or NULL if none exists
+     * This function executes in constant time.
+     * @return the character set with the given MIB enum, or NULL if none exists
+     **/
+    static const BCharacterSet * GetCharacterSetByMIBenum(uint32 MIBenum);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief return the character set with the given print name, or NULL if none exists
+     * This function executes in linear time.
+     * @return the character set with the given print name, or NULL if none exists
+     **/
+    static const BCharacterSet * FindCharacterSetByPrintName(char * name);
+    /**
+     * @brief return the character set with the given name, or NULL if none exists
+     * This function will match aliases as well.
+     * This function executes in linear time.
+     * @return the character set with the given name, or NULL if none exists
+     **/
+    static const BCharacterSet * FindCharacterSetByName(char * name);
+private:
+    uint32 index; //! the state variable for iteration
+};
+
+}
+
+#endif CHARACTER_SET_ROSTER_H