diff --git a/op_builder/async_io.py b/op_builder/async_io.py
index 78aa2fe92d67c2a307271e1a8af9f43ed8a333f7..fb55d9bb6f0239696d536b48f57ec2b43231048f 100644
--- a/op_builder/async_io.py
+++ b/op_builder/async_io.py
@@ -50,10 +50,14 @@ class AsyncIOBuilder(OpBuilder):
         return ['-laio']
 
     def is_compatible(self):
-        aio_libraries = ['libaio-dev']
-        aio_compatible = self.libraries_installed(aio_libraries)
+        # Check for the existence of libaio by using distutils
+        # to compile and link a test program that calls io_submit,
+        # which is a function provided by libaio that is used in the async_io op.
+        # If needed, one can define -I and -L entries in CFLAGS and LDFLAGS
+        # respectively to specify the directories for libaio.h and libaio.so.
+        aio_compatible = self.has_function('io_submit', ('aio', ))
         if not aio_compatible:
             self.warning(
-                f"{self.NAME} requires the libraries: {aio_libraries} but are missing. Can be fixed by: `apt install libaio-dev`."
+                f"{self.NAME} requires libaio but it is missing. Can be fixed by: `apt install libaio-dev`."
             )
         return super().is_compatible() and aio_compatible
diff --git a/op_builder/builder.py b/op_builder/builder.py
index 3eeb4e4bfe749feb7a48c9973ecbb767d2de9fd5..5f0d1a638223921351fae6299b0e8d1c87572c7f 100644
--- a/op_builder/builder.py
+++ b/op_builder/builder.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import time
 import importlib
 from pathlib import Path
 import subprocess
+import distutils.ccompiler
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 
 YELLOW = '\033[93m'
@@ -160,6 +161,10 @@ class OpBuilder(ABC):
             valid = valid or result.wait() == 0
         return valid
 
+    def has_function(self, funcname, libraries):
+        compiler = distutils.ccompiler.new_compiler()
+        return compiler.has_function(funcname, libraries=libraries)
+
     def strip_empty_entries(self, args):
         '''
         Drop any empty strings from the list of compile and link flags