diff --git a/common/python/nomadcore/ActivateLogging.py b/common/python/nomadcore/ActivateLogging.py
index a367923f0ee1ff87ce5cc7ee5b16315aa5f62f4b..1ac79a27e7164c3a1c67e31e4ff0a99b7c0776d4 100644
--- a/common/python/nomadcore/ActivateLogging.py
+++ b/common/python/nomadcore/ActivateLogging.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import logging
 
 # create console handler with a higher log level
 # ch = logging.StreamHandler()
-# ch.setLevel(logging.WARNING)
+# ch.setLevel(logging.INFO)
 
 logger=logging.getLogger("nomadcore")
 logger.setLevel(logging.WARNING)
diff --git a/common/python/nomadcore/local_meta_info.py b/common/python/nomadcore/local_meta_info.py
index 1cb3f54a3dc26aa1a4a5df14b3262d5d55b57445..c877522750744d94aa6f2caeab8f33d3c9665689 100644
--- a/common/python/nomadcore/local_meta_info.py
+++ b/common/python/nomadcore/local_meta_info.py
@@ -669,7 +669,10 @@ def load_metainfo(filename, dependencyLoader=None, extraArgsHandling=InfoKindEl.
         that were encountered in the loading.
     """
     import nomad_meta_info
-    path = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(nomad_meta_info.__file__)), "{}".format(filename)))
+    if os.path.isfile(filename):
+        path = filename
+    else:
+        path = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(nomad_meta_info.__file__)), "{}".format(filename)))
     return loadJsonFile(path, dependencyLoader, extraArgsHandling, uri)
 
 def loadJsonStream(fileStream, name = None, dependencyLoader = None, extraArgsHandling = InfoKindEl.ADD_EXTRA_ARGS, filePath = None, uri = None):
diff --git a/common/python/nomadcore/model_base.py b/common/python/nomadcore/model_base.py
index 0a6d7ef7e1416122f2551319ac914fb6432d5a22..cf5d71c42e475f4a3d9e4f0bc318f7090604f0cf 100644
--- a/common/python/nomadcore/model_base.py
+++ b/common/python/nomadcore/model_base.py
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
 import logging, sys
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stdout)
-logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
-logger.addHandler(handler)
+# handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stdout)
+# logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+# logger.addHandler(handler)
 
 Base = declarative_base()
 useNested = False