diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index fa48c560..047990c3 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ ifneq ($(findstring Windows,${OS}),)
 endif
 
 find_exe = $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip $(subst :, ,${PATH})),$(wildcard $(dir)/$(1))))))
-find_lib = $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip ${LIBPATH}),$(wildcard $(dir)/lib$(1).${LIBEXT})))))
+find_lib = $(firstword $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip ${LIBPATH}),$(foreach ext,$(strip ${LIBEXT}),$(wildcard $(dir)/lib$(1).$(ext))))))))
 find_include = $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip ${INCPATH}),$(wildcard $(dir)/$(1).h)))))
 ifneq (0,$(TESTS))
   find_test = RegisterSanityCheck $(abspath $(wildcard $(1)/tests/$(2)_test.ini)) </dev/null
@@ -378,7 +378,8 @@ ifeq (${WIN32},)  #*nix Environments (&& cygwin)
             LIBPATH := $(sort $(foreach lib,$(shell /sbin/ldconfig -p | grep ' => /' | sed 's/^.* => //'),$(dir $(lib))))
           endif
         endif
-        LIBEXT = so
+        LIBSOEXT = so
+        LIBEXT = $(LIBSOEXT) a
       else
         ifeq (SunOS,$(OSTYPE))
           OSNAME = Solaris
@@ -482,6 +483,9 @@ ifeq (${WIN32},)  #*nix Environments (&& cygwin)
         endif
       endif
     endif
+    ifeq (,$(LIBSOEXT))
+      LIBSOEXT = $(LIBEXT)
+    endif
     ifeq (,$(filter /lib/,$(LIBPATH)))
       ifeq (existlib,$(shell if $(TEST) -d /lib/; then echo existlib; fi))
         LIBPATH += /lib/
@@ -573,7 +577,7 @@ ifeq (${WIN32},)  #*nix Environments (&& cygwin)
   endif
   ifneq (,$(call find_include,dlfcn))
     ifneq (,$(call find_lib,dl))
-      OS_CCDEFS += -DHAVE_DLOPEN=${LIBEXT}
+      OS_CCDEFS += -DHAVE_DLOPEN=$(LIBSOEXT)
       OS_LDFLAGS += -ldl
       $(info using libdl: $(call find_lib,dl) $(call find_include,dlfcn))
     else
@@ -582,7 +586,7 @@ ifeq (${WIN32},)  #*nix Environments (&& cygwin)
         $(info using libdl: $(call find_include,dlfcn))
       else
         ifneq (,$(call find_lib,dld))
-          OS_CCDEFS += -DHAVE_DLOPEN=${LIBEXT}
+          OS_CCDEFS += -DHAVE_DLOPEN=$(LIBSOEXT)
           OS_LDFLAGS += -ldld
           $(info using libdld: $(call find_lib,dld) $(call find_include,dlfcn))
         else