diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index a57919e50..de56af2a1 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 # since its only contents are .a files.
 *.a
 *.so
+*.so.*
 # test executables
 *.x
 *.pexe
diff --git a/CREDITS b/CREDITS
index 8411d376c..ef9b8d62c 100644
--- a/CREDITS
+++ b/CREDITS
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ The BLIS framework was primarily authored by
 but many others have contributed code and feedback, including
 
   Murtaza Ali                               (Texas Instruments)
+  Sajid Ali             @s-sajid-ali        (Northwestern University)
   Erling Andersen       @erling-d-andersen
   Alex Arslan           @ararslan
   Vernon Austel                             (IBM, T.J. Watson Research Center)
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ but many others have contributed code and feedback, including
   Dave Love             @loveshack
   Tze Meng Low                              (The University of Texas at Austin)
   Nisanth Padinharepatt                     (AMD)
-  Devangi Parikh                            (The University of Texas at Austin)
+  Devangi Parikh        @dnparikh           (The University of Texas at Austin)
   Elmar Peise           @elmar-peise        (RWTH-Aachen)
   Clément Pernet        @ClementPernet
   Ilya Polkovnichenko
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9750f9c15..1f1214875 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -130,7 +130,8 @@ MK_LIBS_INST              += $(LIBBLIS_A_INST)
 MK_LIBS_SYML              +=
 endif
 ifeq ($(MK_ENABLE_SHARED),yes)
-MK_LIBS                   += $(LIBBLIS_SO_PATH)
+MK_LIBS                   += $(LIBBLIS_SO_PATH) \
+                             $(LIBBLIS_SO_MAJ_PATH)
 MK_LIBS_INST              += $(LIBBLIS_SO_MMB_INST)
 MK_LIBS_SYML              += $(LIBBLIS_SO_INST) \
                              $(LIBBLIS_SO_MAJ_INST)
@@ -584,7 +585,7 @@ endif
 endif
 
 
-# --- Dynamic library linker rules ---
+# --- Shared library linker rules ---
 
 $(LIBBLIS_SO_PATH): $(MK_BLIS_OBJS)
 ifeq ($(ENABLE_VERBOSE),yes)
@@ -607,6 +608,20 @@ else
 endif
 endif
 
+# Local symlink for shared library.
+# NOTE: We use a '.loc' suffix to avoid filename collisions in case this
+# rule is executed concurrently with the install-lib-symlinks rule, which
+# also creates symlinks in the current directory (before installing them).
+$(LIBBLIS_SO_MAJ_PATH): $(LIBBLIS_SO_PATH)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_VERBOSE),yes)
+	$(SYMLINK) $(<F) $(@F).loc
+	$(MV) $(@F).loc $(BASE_LIB_PATH)/$(@F)
+else # ifeq ($(ENABLE_VERBOSE),no)
+	@echo "Creating symlink $@"
+	@$(SYMLINK) $(<F) $(@F).loc
+	@$(MV) $(@F).loc $(BASE_LIB_PATH)/$(@F)
+endif
+
 
 # --- BLAS test suite rules ---
 
diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index de549bb60..af6443a6b 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -322,6 +322,12 @@ LIBBLIS_SO         := $(LIBBLIS).$(SHLIB_EXT)
 LIBBLIS_A_PATH     := $(BASE_LIB_PATH)/$(LIBBLIS_A)
 LIBBLIS_SO_PATH    := $(BASE_LIB_PATH)/$(LIBBLIS_SO)
 
+# Create a filepath to a local symlink to the soname--that is, the same as
+# LIBBLIS_SO_PATH except with the .so major version number. Since the shared
+# library lists its soname as 'libblis.so.n', where n is the .so major version
+# number, a symlink in BASE_LIB_PATH is needed so that ld can find the local
+# shared library when the testsuite is run via 'make test' or 'make check'.
+LIBBLIS_SO_MAJ_PATH := $(BASE_LIB_PATH)/$(LIBBLIS_SO).$(SO_MAJOR)
 
 
 #
@@ -388,8 +394,8 @@ ifeq ($(DEBUG_TYPE),sde)
 LDFLAGS    := $(filter-out $(LIBMEMKIND),$(LDFLAGS))
 endif
 
-# The default flag for creating shared objects is different for Linux and
-# OS X.
+# Specify the shared library's 'soname' field.
+# NOTE: The flag for creating shared objects is different for Linux and OS X.
 ifeq ($(OS_NAME),Darwin)
 SOFLAGS    := -dynamiclib
 SOFLAGS    += -Wl,-install_name,$(LIBBLIS_SO).$(SO_MAJOR)
@@ -398,15 +404,14 @@ SOFLAGS    := -shared
 SOFLAGS    += -Wl,-soname,$(LIBBLIS_SO).$(SO_MAJOR)
 endif
 
-# Specify the shared library's 'soname' field.
-
-# Decide which library to link to for things like the testsuite. Default
-# to the static library, unless only the shared library was enabled, in
-# which case we use the shared library.
+# Decide which library to link to for things like the testsuite and BLIS test
+# drivers. We default to the static library, unless only the shared library was
+# enabled, in which case we use the shared library.
 LIBBLIS_LINK   := $(LIBBLIS_A_PATH)
 ifeq ($(MK_ENABLE_SHARED),yes)
 ifeq ($(MK_ENABLE_STATIC),no)
 LIBBLIS_LINK   := $(LIBBLIS_SO_PATH)
+LDFLAGS        += -Wl,-rpath,$(BASE_LIB_PATH)
 endif
 endif
 
diff --git a/frame/include/bli_system.h b/frame/include/bli_system.h
index 19a57cb65..e8fcda5b1 100644
--- a/frame/include/bli_system.h
+++ b/frame/include/bli_system.h
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <float.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
 
 // Determine if we are on a 64-bit or 32-bit architecture.
 #if defined(_M_X64) || defined(__x86_64) || defined(__aarch64__) || \