diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c3040f162..8d759a93b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 /html/
 /include/
 /templates/
+/configure/*.local
 O.*/
 /QtC-*
 *.orig
diff --git a/configure/CONFIG_SITE b/configure/CONFIG_SITE
index d4edb948a..1597c6f7f 100644
--- a/configure/CONFIG_SITE
+++ b/configure/CONFIG_SITE
@@ -175,3 +175,5 @@ GCC_PIPE = NO
 #  run at build-time, e.g. set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
 LINKER_USE_RPATH = YES
 
+# Overrides for the settings above may appear in a CONFIG_SITE.local file
+-include $(CONFIG)/CONFIG_SITE.local
diff --git a/configure/RELEASE b/configure/RELEASE
index 01375a05f..88b819034 100644
--- a/configure/RELEASE
+++ b/configure/RELEASE
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
 #*************************************************************************
-# Copyright (c) 2002 The University of Chicago, as Operator of Argonne
+# Copyright (c) 2012 UChicago Argonne LLC, as Operator of Argonne
 #     National Laboratory.
 # Copyright (c) 2002 The Regents of the University of California, as
 #     Operator of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
-# EPICS BASE Versions 3.13.7
-# and higher are distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
-# in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution. 
+# EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
+# in the file LICENSE that is included with this distribution.
 #*************************************************************************
-# RELEASE: Define location of external EPICS products
 
+#
+# RELEASE: Define the location of external EPICS products
+#
+
+# The version of this file in Base should normally be empty.
+#
 # Define INSTALL_LOCATION in CONFIG_SITE
 
-# VX_DIR definition now in os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.vxWorksCommon
-# RTEMS_BASE (and RTEMS_VERSION) now in os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.RTEMS
-
 # NB: Settings in RELEASE files can be overridden in files named
 #   RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).Common
 #   RELEASE.Common.$(T_A)
diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index 610b6a4dc..f51a46461 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -586,6 +586,15 @@ of its CALLBACK objects.</p>
 
 <!-- Insert inherited items immediately below here ... -->
 
+<h3>Support for CONFIG_SITE.local in Base</h3>
+
+<p>This feature is mostly meant for use by developers; configuration
+settings that would normally appear in Base/configure/CONFIG_SITE can now
+be put in a locally created base/configure/CONFIG_SITE.local file instead
+of having go modify or replace the original. A new .gitignore pattern
+tells git to ignore all configure/*.local files.</p>
+
+
 <h2 align="center">Changes from the 3.14 branch since 3.15.5</h2>
 
 <!-- Insert inherited items immediately below here ... -->
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Breaktable.plt b/src/tools/test/Breaktable.plt
index 36085d331..99df5457a 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Breaktable.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Breaktable.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 9;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/DBD.plt b/src/tools/test/DBD.plt
index d6e5676da..2bfe6ef48 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/DBD.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/DBD.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 18;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Device.plt b/src/tools/test/Device.plt
index 79f96bfd0..3341d5ee0 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Device.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Device.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 16;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Driver.plt b/src/tools/test/Driver.plt
index f78c66da9..17e3a0c78 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Driver.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Driver.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 2;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Function.plt b/src/tools/test/Function.plt
index 6eb124fa8..130693293 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Function.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Function.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 2;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Menu.plt b/src/tools/test/Menu.plt
index 8c5540f6a..8165d000c 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Menu.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Menu.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 14;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Recfield.plt b/src/tools/test/Recfield.plt
index bf92ea83d..cdad4dbb7 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Recfield.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Recfield.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 76;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Recordtype.plt b/src/tools/test/Recordtype.plt
index 1c829ae49..c5384b7a9 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Recordtype.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Recordtype.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 17;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Registrar.plt b/src/tools/test/Registrar.plt
index 2c203c016..b297077b4 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Registrar.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Registrar.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 2;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/Variable.plt b/src/tools/test/Variable.plt
index c8a1a023d..57f92e9a7 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/Variable.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/Variable.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 4;
 
diff --git a/src/tools/test/macLib.plt b/src/tools/test/macLib.plt
index 9aa455df7..d492c3bc1 100644
--- a/src/tools/test/macLib.plt
+++ b/src/tools/test/macLib.plt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 
-use FindBin qw($Bin);
-use lib "$Bin/../../../../lib/perl";
+use lib '../..';
 
 use Test::More tests => 35;