reading binary data

[Francois Forest]

I would like to read and write xxx.wav files,
this assume to alternatively read characters,  integers 16 bits and
integers 32 bits.
I found that I can read a binary file and get the result in a string,
Is there a way to convert a string slice into an int16, int32, or
floatting point ?
(what is usually done in C through a cast).

More generally, how can I browse through standard libraries ?