diff --git a/basis/alien/libraries/libraries-docs.factor b/basis/alien/libraries/libraries-docs.factor
index 741a5be60c..366cc91da6 100644
--- a/basis/alien/libraries/libraries-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/libraries/libraries-docs.factor
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ HELP: dlopen
 { $values { "path" "a pathname string" } { "dll" "a DLL handle" } }
 { $description "Opens a native library and outputs a handle which may be passed to " { $link dlsym } " or " { $link dlclose } "." }
 { $errors "Throws an error if the library could not be found, or if loading fails for some other reason." }
-{ $notes "This is the low-level facility used to implement " { $link load-library } ". Use the latter instead." } ;
+{ $notes "This is the low-level facility used to implement " { $link add-library } ". Use the latter instead." } ;
 
 HELP: dlsym
 { $values { "name" "a C symbol name" } { "dll" "a DLL handle" } { "alien" { $maybe alien } } }
@@ -72,9 +72,9 @@ HELP: library
     }
 } ;
 
-HELP: load-library
+HELP: library-dll
 { $values { "name" string } { "dll" "a DLL handle" } }
-{ $description "Loads a library by logical name and outputs a handle which may be passed to " { $link dlsym } " or " { $link dlclose } ". If the library is already loaded, returns the existing handle." } ;
+{ $description "Looks up a library by logical name and outputs a handle which may be passed to " { $link dlsym } " or " { $link dlclose } "." } ;
 
 HELP: remove-library
 { $values { "name" string } }
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ ARTICLE: "loading-libs" "Loading native libraries"
     add-library
     remove-library
 }
-"Once a library has been defined, you can try loading it to see if the path name is correct:"
-{ $subsections load-library }
+"Once a library has been defined, you can see if the library has correctly loaded:"
+{ $subsections library-dll }
 "If the compiler cannot load a library, or cannot resolve a symbol in a library, a linkage error is reported using the compiler error mechanism (see " { $link "compiler-errors" } "). Once you install the right library, reload the source file containing the " { $link add-library } " form to force the compiler to try loading the library again."
 $nl
 "Libraries that do not come standard with the operating system need to be included with deployed applications that use them. A word is provided to instruct " { $link "tools.deploy" } " that a library must be so deployed:"
diff --git a/basis/alien/libraries/libraries.factor b/basis/alien/libraries/libraries.factor
index 0f95141e2d..2365e0ee42 100755
--- a/basis/alien/libraries/libraries.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/libraries/libraries.factor
@@ -36,14 +36,18 @@ C: <library> library
 : make-library ( path abi -- library )
     [ dup open-dll ] dip <library> ;
 
-: library-dll ( library -- dll )
+GENERIC: library-dll ( obj -- dll )
+
+M: f library-dll ;
+
+M: library library-dll
     dup [ dll>> ] when ;
 
-: load-library ( name -- dll )
+M: string library-dll ( library -- dll )
     lookup-library library-dll ;
 
 : dlsym? ( function library -- alien/f )
-    load-library dlsym ;
+    library-dll dlsym ;
 
 M: dll dispose dlclose ;
 
@@ -84,7 +88,7 @@ M: library dispose dll>> [ dispose ] when* ;
     lookup-library [ abi>> ] [ cdecl ] if* ;
 
 : address-of ( name library -- value )
-    2dup load-library dlsym-raw
+    2dup library-dll dlsym-raw
     [ 2nip ] [ no-such-symbol ] if* ;
 
 SYMBOL: deploy-libraries
diff --git a/basis/compiler/tests/alien.factor b/basis/compiler/tests/alien.factor
index 4d8a37a71e..08fdcf8761 100755
--- a/basis/compiler/tests/alien.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/tests/alien.factor
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ unit-test
     int { int int int int } stdcall alien-indirect
     gc ;
 
-[ f ] [ "f-stdcall" load-library f = ] unit-test
+[ f ] [ "f-stdcall" library-dll f = ] unit-test
 [ stdcall ] [ "f-stdcall" lookup-library abi>> ] unit-test
 
 : ffi_test_18 ( w x y z -- int )
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ os windows? [
 
 [ ] [ assembly-test-1 ] unit-test
 
-[ f ] [ "f-fastcall" load-library f = ] unit-test
+[ f ] [ "f-fastcall" library-dll f = ] unit-test
 [ fastcall ] [ "f-fastcall" lookup-library abi>> ] unit-test
 
 : ffi_test_49 ( x -- int )
diff --git a/basis/compiler/tests/linkage-errors.factor b/basis/compiler/tests/linkage-errors.factor
index 1b60462aa2..e5f3d21c9a 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/tests/linkage-errors.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/tests/linkage-errors.factor
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ FUNCTION: void no_such_function ( )
     ${
         KERNEL-ERROR ERROR-UNDEFINED-SYMBOL
         "no_such_function" string>symbol
-        "no_such_library" load-library
+        "no_such_library" library-dll
     }
     =
 ] must-fail-with
diff --git a/extra/readline/readline.factor b/extra/readline/readline.factor
index 75a90545b5..bbad24a074 100644
--- a/extra/readline/readline.factor
+++ b/extra/readline/readline.factor
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ IN: readline
     current-line readline.ffi:rl_point head ;
 
 : has-readline? ( -- ? )
-    "readline" dup load-library dlsym-raw >boolean ;
+    "readline" dup library-dll dlsym-raw >boolean ;
 
 : set-completion ( quot -- )
     [