diff --git a/eeschema/dialogs/panel_sym_lib_table.cpp b/eeschema/dialogs/panel_sym_lib_table.cpp
index 659df04ba2..daf06975d8 100644
--- a/eeschema/dialogs/panel_sym_lib_table.cpp
+++ b/eeschema/dialogs/panel_sym_lib_table.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * This program source code file is part of KiCad, a free EDA CAD application.
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2017 Wayne Stambaugh <stambaughw@gmail.com>
- * Copyright (C) 2017-2018 KiCad Developers, see AUTHORS.txt for contributors.
+ * Copyright (C) 2017-2019 KiCad Developers, see AUTHORS.txt for contributors.
  *
  * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
  * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ protected:
             if( parsed )
             {
                 // make sure the table is big enough...
-                if( tmp_tbl.GetCount() > tbl->GetNumberRows() )
+                if( tmp_tbl.GetCount() > (unsigned) tbl->GetNumberRows() )
                     tbl->AppendRows( tmp_tbl.GetCount() - tbl->GetNumberRows() );
 
-                for( int i = 0;  i < tmp_tbl.GetCount();  ++i )
-                    tbl->rows.replace( i, tmp_tbl.At( i )->clone() );
+                for( unsigned i = 0;  i < tmp_tbl.GetCount();  ++i )
+                    tbl->rows.replace( i, tmp_tbl.At( i ).clone() );
             }
 
             m_grid->AutoSizeColumns( false );
diff --git a/include/lib_table_base.h b/include/lib_table_base.h
index c60d6cec16..4f72274980 100644
--- a/include/lib_table_base.h
+++ b/include/lib_table_base.h
@@ -342,19 +342,27 @@ public:
     /**
      * Get the number of rows contained in the table
      */
-    int GetCount()
+    unsigned GetCount() const
     {
         return rows.size();
     }
 
     /**
-     * Get the row at the given index.
-     * @param  aIndex row index (must exist)
-     * @return        pointer to the row
+     * Get the 'n'th #LIB_TABLE_ROW object
+     * @param  aIndex index of row (must exist: from 0 to GetCount() - 1)
+     * @return        reference to the row
      */
-    LIB_TABLE_ROW* At( int aIndex )
+    LIB_TABLE_ROW& At( unsigned aIndex )
     {
-        return &rows[aIndex];
+        return rows[aIndex];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @copydoc At()
+     */
+    const LIB_TABLE_ROW& At( unsigned aIndex ) const
+    {
+        return rows[aIndex];
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/pcbnew/dialogs/panel_fp_lib_table.cpp b/pcbnew/dialogs/panel_fp_lib_table.cpp
index e1ef84b1a8..e1a24c2d59 100644
--- a/pcbnew/dialogs/panel_fp_lib_table.cpp
+++ b/pcbnew/dialogs/panel_fp_lib_table.cpp
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2012 SoftPLC Corporation, Dick Hollenbeck <dick@softplc.com>
  * Copyright (C) 2013 CERN
- * Copyright (C) 2012-2018 KiCad Developers, see AUTHORS.txt for contributors.
+ * Copyright (C) 2012-2019 KiCad Developers, see AUTHORS.txt for contributors.
  *
  * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
@@ -245,11 +245,11 @@ protected:
             if( parsed )
             {
                 // make sure the table is big enough...
-                if( tmp_tbl.GetCount() > tbl->GetNumberRows() )
+                if( tmp_tbl.GetCount() > (unsigned) tbl->GetNumberRows() )
                     tbl->AppendRows( tmp_tbl.GetCount() - tbl->GetNumberRows() );
 
-                for( int i = 0;  i < tmp_tbl.GetCount();  ++i )
-                    tbl->rows.replace( i, tmp_tbl.At( i )->clone() );
+                for( unsigned i = 0;  i < tmp_tbl.GetCount();  ++i )
+                    tbl->rows.replace( i, tmp_tbl.At( i ).clone() );
             }
 
             m_grid->AutoSizeColumns( false );
diff --git a/qa/common/test_lib_table.cpp b/qa/common/test_lib_table.cpp
index 02088020f3..380d0d5e95 100644
--- a/qa/common/test_lib_table.cpp
+++ b/qa/common/test_lib_table.cpp
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( Equal )
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( false, m_mainTableNoFb != m_mainTableWithFb );
 
     // Modify one of them
-    m_mainTableWithFb.At( 1 )->SetNickName( "NewNickname" );
+    m_mainTableWithFb.At( 1 ).SetNickName( "NewNickname" );
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( false, m_mainTableNoFb == m_mainTableWithFb );
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( true, m_mainTableNoFb != m_mainTableWithFb );
 
@@ -280,15 +280,15 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( Indexing )
     // Filled with the right row count
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( m_mainTableNoFb.GetCount(), 3 );
 
-    const auto* row0 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 0 );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row0->GetNickName(), "Lib1" );
+    const auto& row0 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 0 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row0.GetNickName(), "Lib1" );
 
-    const auto* row1 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 1 );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row1->GetNickName(), "Lib2" );
+    const auto& row1 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 1 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row1.GetNickName(), "Lib2" );
 
     // disable, but still in the index
-    const auto* row2 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 2 );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row2->GetNickName(), "Lib3" );
+    const auto& row2 = m_mainTableNoFb.At( 2 );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( row2.GetNickName(), "Lib3" );
 
     // check correct handling of out-of-bounds
     // TODO: this doesn't work with boost::ptr_vector - that only asserts