diff --git a/basis/alien/libraries/finder/finder.factor b/basis/alien/libraries/finder/finder.factor
index 681c605d32..8df7c748ef 100644
--- a/basis/alien/libraries/finder/finder.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/libraries/finder/finder.factor
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-
-USING: combinators kernel system vocabs alien.libraries ;
+USING: combinators kernel sequences system vocabs
+alien.libraries ;
 IN: alien.libraries.finder
 
 HOOK: find-library* os ( name -- path/f )
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ HOOK: find-library* os ( name -- path/f )
 : find-library ( name -- path/library-not-found )
     dup find-library* [ nip ] when* ;
 
+! Try to find the library from a list, but if it's not found,
+! try to open a library that is the first name in that list anyway
+! or "library_not_found" as a last resort for better debugging. 
+: find-library-from-list ( seq -- path/f )
+    dup [ find-library* ] map
+    [ ] find nip [ nip ] [ ?first "library_not_found" or ] if* ;
+
 {
     { [ os macosx?  ] [ "alien.libraries.finder.macosx"  ] }
     { [ os linux?   ] [ "alien.libraries.finder.linux"   ] }
diff --git a/extra/gdbm/ffi/ffi.factor b/extra/gdbm/ffi/ffi.factor
index 06f96aceeb..ba22b8153e 100755
--- a/extra/gdbm/ffi/ffi.factor
+++ b/extra/gdbm/ffi/ffi.factor
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ alien.syntax classes.struct combinators kernel system ;
 IN: gdbm.ffi
 
 << "libgdbm"
-os windows? [ "gdbm3.dll" ] [ "gdbm" find-library ] if
+{ "gdbm" "gdbm3" "libgdbm-3" } find-library-from-list
 cdecl add-library >>
 
 LIBRARY: libgdbm
diff --git a/extra/yaml/ffi/ffi.factor b/extra/yaml/ffi/ffi.factor
index a2177b0572..9c74ad3567 100644
--- a/extra/yaml/ffi/ffi.factor
+++ b/extra/yaml/ffi/ffi.factor
@@ -3,15 +3,12 @@
 ! adapted from "yaml.h" libYAML 0.1.4
 ! http://pyyaml.org/wiki/LibYAML
 USING: alien alien.c-types alien.destructors alien.libraries
-alien.syntax classes.struct combinators literals system ;
+alien.syntax classes.struct combinators literals system
+alien.libraries.finder ;
 IN: yaml.ffi
 
 <<
-"libyaml" {
-    { [ os windows? ] [ "libyaml.dll" ] }
-    { [ os macosx?  ] [ "libyaml.dylib" ] }
-    { [ os unix?  ] [ "libyaml.so" ] }
-} cond cdecl add-library
+"libyaml" { "yaml" "libyaml-0-2" } find-library-from-list cdecl add-library
 >>
 
 C-TYPE: FILE