diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 40345f3585..a88934a4fb 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package: tiledb
 Type: Package
-Version: 0.27.0
+Version: 0.27.0.1
 Title: Modern Database Engine for Complex Data Based on Multi-Dimensional Arrays
 Authors@R: c(person("TileDB, Inc.", role = c("aut", "cph")),
   person("Dirk", "Eddelbuettel", email = "dirk@tiledb.com", role = "cre"))
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 6451e029ac..24cfa2b826 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+# Ongoing development
+
+* This release of the R package builds against [TileDB 2.23.0](https://github.com/TileDB-Inc/TileDB/releases/tag/2.23.0), and has also been tested against earlier releases as well as the development version (#701, #704)
+
+## Improvements
+
+* Three internal and unexported helper functions now document more clearly how they can be called explicitly. (#709)
+
+
 # tiledb 0.27.0
 
 * This release of the R package builds against [TileDB 2.23.0](https://github.com/TileDB-Inc/TileDB/releases/tag/2.23.0), and has also been tested against earlier releases as well as the development version (#701, #704)
diff --git a/R/ArraySchema.R b/R/ArraySchema.R
index 3bdbe7af01..dabdf9a293 100644
--- a/R/ArraySchema.R
+++ b/R/ArraySchema.R
@@ -530,7 +530,8 @@ tiledb_schema_get_types <- function(sch) {
 
 ##' Get Dimension or Attribute Status
 ##'
-##' Note that this function is an unexported internal function.
+##' Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+##' using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status(sch)}.
 ##'
 ##' @param sch A TileDB Schema object
 ##' @return An integer vector where each element corresponds to a schema entry,
@@ -545,7 +546,8 @@ tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status <- function(sch) {
 
 ##' Get Dimension or Attribute Status
 ##'
-##' Note that this function is an unexported internal function.
+##' Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+##' using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status(sch)}.
 ##'
 ##' @param sch A TileDB Schema object
 ##' @return An integer vector where each element corresponds to a schema entry,
@@ -863,6 +865,9 @@ tiledb_schema_object <- function(array) {
 
 #' Describe a TileDB array schema via code to create it
 #'
+#' Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+#' using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::describe(arr)}.
+#'
 #' @param arr A TileDB Array object
 #' @return Nothing is returned as the function is invoked for the side effect
 #' of printing the schema via a sequence of R instructions to re-create it.
diff --git a/man/describe.Rd b/man/describe.Rd
index 6454b81a65..d96e978627 100644
--- a/man/describe.Rd
+++ b/man/describe.Rd
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ Nothing is returned as the function is invoked for the side effect
 of printing the schema via a sequence of R instructions to re-create it.
 }
 \description{
-Describe a TileDB array schema via code to create it
+Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::describe(arr)}.
 }
diff --git a/man/tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status.Rd b/man/tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status.Rd
index c59cae1b82..06814b3260 100644
--- a/man/tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status.Rd
+++ b/man/tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status.Rd
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ An integer vector where each element corresponds to a schema entry,
 and a value of one signals dimension and a value of two an attribute.
 }
 \description{
-Note that this function is an unexported internal function.
+Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::tiledb_schema_get_dim_attr_status(sch)}.
 }
diff --git a/man/tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status.Rd b/man/tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status.Rd
index 6f8334d48b..c52d723fb1 100644
--- a/man/tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status.Rd
+++ b/man/tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status.Rd
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ An integer vector where each element corresponds to a schema entry,
 and a value of one signals dimension and a value of two an attribute.
 }
 \description{
-Note that this function is an unexported internal function.
+Note that this function is an unexported internal function that can be called
+using the colons as in \code{tiledb:::tiledb_schema_get_enumeration_status(sch)}.
 }