diff --git a/libexec/ld.elf_so/Makefile b/libexec/ld.elf_so/Makefile
index 61eb8db943d6..b076e50521a0 100644
--- a/libexec/ld.elf_so/Makefile
+++ b/libexec/ld.elf_so/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.42 2001/12/28 05:30:24 lukem Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.43 2001/12/28 05:44:22 lukem Exp $
 
 .include <bsd.own.mk>			# for OBJECT_FMT definition
 
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ CPPFLAGS+= -D_RTLD_SOURCE
 #CPPFLAGS+= -DRTLD_DEBUG_RELOC
 #DBG=	-g
 
+.if ${SHLIBDIR} != ${LIBDIR}
+CPPFLAGS+= -DRTLD_DEFAULT_LIBRARY_PATH=\"${SHLIBDIR}:${LIBDIR}\"
+.endif
+
 LDADD+=	-non_shared -L${DESTDIR}${LIBDIR} -lc_pic
 DPADD+=	${LIBC_PIC}
 
diff --git a/libexec/ld.elf_so/rtld.h b/libexec/ld.elf_so/rtld.h
index a169290f4511..975bd5ab619a 100644
--- a/libexec/ld.elf_so/rtld.h
+++ b/libexec/ld.elf_so/rtld.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	$NetBSD: rtld.h,v 1.32 2001/12/14 00:53:07 thorpej Exp $	 */
+/*	$NetBSD: rtld.h,v 1.33 2001/12/28 05:44:22 lukem Exp $	 */
 
 /*
  * Copyright 1996 John D. Polstra.
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@
 
 #if defined(_RTLD_SOURCE)
 
+#ifndef	RTLD_DEFAULT_LIBRARY_PATH
 #define	RTLD_DEFAULT_LIBRARY_PATH	"/usr/lib"
+#endif
 #define _PATH_LD_HINTS			"/etc/ld.so.conf"
 
 #if 0