diff --git a/src/aclocal.m4 b/src/aclocal.m4
index 6f52c6696..1de1e92c5 100644
--- a/src/aclocal.m4
+++ b/src/aclocal.m4
@@ -873,18 +873,43 @@ dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 dnl Configure libatomic-ops
 dnl
 AC_DEFUN([ECL_LIBATOMIC_OPS],[
+case "${enable_libatomic}" in
+  auto|system|included) ;;
+  *) AC_MSG_ERROR( [Invalid value of --enable-libatomic: ${enable_libatomic}] );;
+esac
 if test "x${enable_threads}" != "xno"; then
-  test -d atomic || mkdir atomic
-  (destdir=`${PWDCMD}`; cd atomic && CC="${CC} ${PICFLAG}" \
-   $srcdir/${ECL_GC_DIR}/libatomic*/configure --disable-shared --prefix=${destdir} \
+  AC_CHECK_HEADER([atomic_ops.h],[system_libatomic=yes],[system_libatomic=no],[])
+  AC_MSG_CHECKING( [libatomic-ops version] )
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = auto; then
+    if test "${system_libatomic}" = yes; then
+      enable_libatomic=system
+    else
+      enable_libatomic=included
+    fi
+  fi
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = system; then
+    if test "${system_libatomic}" = no; then
+      AC_MSG_ERROR( [Cannot find libatomic-ops in the system] )
+      enable_libatomic=included
+    fi
+  fi
+  AC_MSG_RESULT( [${enable_libatomic}] )
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = included; then
+    test -d atomic || mkdir atomic
+    (destdir=`${PWDCMD}`; cd atomic && CC="${CC} ${PICFLAG}" \
+     $srcdir/${ECL_GC_DIR}/libatomic*/configure --disable-shared --prefix=${destdir} \
 	--infodir=${destdir}/doc --includedir=${destdir}/ecl --with-pic \
         --libdir=${destdir} --build=${build_alias} --host=${host_alias} \
         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS" LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS" CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS" CC="${CC} \
         ${PICFLAG}")
-  SUBDIRS="${SUBDIRS} atomic"
-  CORE_LIBS="-leclatomic ${CORE_LIBS}"
-  if test "${enable_shared}" = "no"; then
-    LIBRARIES="${LIBRARIES} ${LIBPREFIX}eclatomic.${LIBEXT}"
+    SUBDIRS="${SUBDIRS} atomic"
+    if test "${enable_shared}" = "no"; then
+      LIBRARIES="${LIBRARIES} ${LIBPREFIX}eclatomic.${LIBEXT}"
+    fi
+    AC_DEFINE(ECL_LIBATOMIC_OPS_H)
+    CORE_LIBS="-leclatomic ${CORE_LIBS}"
+  else
+    CORE_LIBS="-latomic_ops ${CORE_LIBS}"
   fi
 fi
 ])
diff --git a/src/c/threads/ecl_atomics.h b/src/c/threads/ecl_atomics.h
index f7d3ec232..75ac82258 100755
--- a/src/c/threads/ecl_atomics.h
+++ b/src/c/threads/ecl_atomics.h
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 #ifndef ECL_ATOMICS_H
 #define AO_ASSUME_WINDOWS98
-#include <ecl/atomic_ops.h>
+#include <ecl/internal.h>
 
 #if !defined(AO_HAVE_compare_and_swap_full)
 # error "ECL needs AO_compare_and_swap_full or an equivalent"
diff --git a/src/configure b/src/configure
index ee7ee3b58..20967a1fb 100755
--- a/src/configure
+++ b/src/configure
@@ -763,6 +763,7 @@ enable_shared
 enable_rpath
 enable_threads
 enable_boehm
+enable_libatomic
 enable_slow_config
 enable_soname
 with_system_boehm
@@ -1444,6 +1445,8 @@ Optional Features:
                           default=NO).
   --enable-boehm          use the Boehm-Weiser garbage collector
                           (no|included|system|auto, default=auto)
+  --enable-libatomic      version of the libatomic-ops library
+                          (auto|included|system, default=auto)
   DEPRECATED: use --with-system-boehm=no
 
   --enable-soname         link and install the library using version numbers
@@ -2617,6 +2620,14 @@ else
 fi
 
 
+# Check whether --enable-libatomic was given.
+if test "${enable_libatomic+set}" = set; then :
+  enableval=$enable_libatomic;
+else
+  enable_libatomic=auto
+fi
+
+
 # Check whether --enable-slow-config was given.
 if test "${enable_slow_config+set}" = set; then :
   enableval=$enable_slow_config;
@@ -9136,18 +9147,53 @@ fi
 fi
 
 
+case "${enable_libatomic}" in
+  auto|system|included) ;;
+  *) as_fn_error $? "Invalid value of --enable-libatomic: ${enable_libatomic} " "$LINENO" 5;;
+esac
 if test "x${enable_threads}" != "xno"; then
-  test -d atomic || mkdir atomic
-  (destdir=`${PWDCMD}`; cd atomic && CC="${CC} ${PICFLAG}" \
-   $srcdir/${ECL_GC_DIR}/libatomic*/configure --disable-shared --prefix=${destdir} \
+  ac_fn_c_check_header_mongrel "$LINENO" "atomic_ops.h" "ac_cv_header_atomic_ops_h" "$ac_includes_default"
+if test "x$ac_cv_header_atomic_ops_h" = xyes; then :
+  system_libatomic=yes
+else
+  system_libatomic=no
+fi
+
+
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking libatomic-ops version " >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking libatomic-ops version ... " >&6; }
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = auto; then
+    if test "${system_libatomic}" = yes; then
+      enable_libatomic=system
+    else
+      enable_libatomic=included
+    fi
+  fi
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = system; then
+    if test "${system_libatomic}" = no; then
+      as_fn_error $? "Cannot find libatomic-ops in the system " "$LINENO" 5
+      enable_libatomic=included
+    fi
+  fi
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: ${enable_libatomic} " >&5
+$as_echo "${enable_libatomic} " >&6; }
+  if test "${enable_libatomic}" = included; then
+    test -d atomic || mkdir atomic
+    (destdir=`${PWDCMD}`; cd atomic && CC="${CC} ${PICFLAG}" \
+     $srcdir/${ECL_GC_DIR}/libatomic*/configure --disable-shared --prefix=${destdir} \
 	--infodir=${destdir}/doc --includedir=${destdir}/ecl --with-pic \
         --libdir=${destdir} --build=${build_alias} --host=${host_alias} \
         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS" LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS" CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS" CC="${CC} \
         ${PICFLAG}")
-  SUBDIRS="${SUBDIRS} atomic"
-  CORE_LIBS="-leclatomic ${CORE_LIBS}"
-  if test "${enable_shared}" = "no"; then
-    LIBRARIES="${LIBRARIES} ${LIBPREFIX}eclatomic.${LIBEXT}"
+    SUBDIRS="${SUBDIRS} atomic"
+    if test "${enable_shared}" = "no"; then
+      LIBRARIES="${LIBRARIES} ${LIBPREFIX}eclatomic.${LIBEXT}"
+    fi
+    $as_echo "#define ECL_LIBATOMIC_OPS_H 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+    CORE_LIBS="-leclatomic ${CORE_LIBS}"
+  else
+    CORE_LIBS="-latomic_ops ${CORE_LIBS}"
   fi
 fi
 
diff --git a/src/configure.in b/src/configure.in
index d8a0f6dc1..f1f72ec38 100644
--- a/src/configure.in
+++ b/src/configure.in
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(boehm,
                   [(no|included|system|auto, default=auto)] ),
   [], [enable_boehm=auto] )
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(libatomic,
+  AS_HELP_STRING( [--enable-libatomic],
+                  [version of the libatomic-ops library]
+                  [(auto|included|system, default=auto)] ),
+  [], [enable_libatomic=auto] )
+
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(slow-config,
   AS_HELP_STRING( [DEPRECATED: use --with-system-boehm=no] ),
   [], [enable_slow_config=no] )
diff --git a/src/h/config.h.in b/src/h/config.h.in
index 7be803c90..822e226f2 100644
--- a/src/h/config.h.in
+++ b/src/h/config.h.in
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@
 #  undef _endthreadex
 # endif
 #endif
+#undef ECL_LIBATOMIC_OPS_H
 
 /* Network streams							*/
 #undef TCP
diff --git a/src/h/internal.h b/src/h/internal.h
index b6d3b97e8..021d01732 100755
--- a/src/h/internal.h
+++ b/src/h/internal.h
@@ -419,7 +419,11 @@ extern void cl_write_object(cl_object x, cl_object stream);
 #endif /* ECL_THREADS */
 
 #ifdef ECL_THREADS
-# include <ecl/atomic_ops.h>
+# ifdef ECL_LIBATOMIC_OPS_H
+#  include <ecl/atomic_ops.h>
+# else
+#  include <atomic_ops.h>
+# endif
 #else
 # define AO_load(x) (x)
 # define AO_store(x,y) ((x)=(y))