diff --git a/drivers/.gitignore b/drivers/.gitignore
index b3b3865..5a17421 100644
--- a/drivers/.gitignore
+++ b/drivers/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-mysql-connector-java-3.0.7-stable-bin.jar
+mysql-connector-*.jar
diff --git a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexDirectoryImpl.java b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexDirectoryImpl.java
index 7417d4e..33f8b11 100644
--- a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexDirectoryImpl.java
+++ b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexDirectoryImpl.java
@@ -86,6 +86,22 @@ class IndexDirectoryImpl extends Directory
 
     } // end release
 
+    public boolean isLocked()
+    {
+      try
+      { // call through to the database
+	return m_ops.queryLock(m_ndx,m_name);
+
+      } // end try
+      catch (DatabaseException e)
+      { // turn it into an I/O exception
+	logger.warn("IndexDirectoryImpl.MyLock.isLocked(): failed operation",e);
+	return false;
+
+      } // end catch
+
+    } // end isLocked
+
   } // end class MyLock
 
   /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps.java b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps.java
index 3901722..f625426 100644
--- a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps.java
+++ b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps.java
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ abstract class IndexOps extends OpsBase
 
   abstract void releaseLock(int ndx, String lock) throws DatabaseException;
 
+  abstract boolean queryLock(int ndx, String lock) throws DatabaseException;
+
   abstract void releaseAllLocks(int ndx) throws DatabaseException;
 
 } // end class IndexOps
diff --git a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps_mysql.java b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps_mysql.java
index feb8ce0..1acb239 100644
--- a/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps_mysql.java
+++ b/src/dynamo-framework/com/silverwrist/dynamo/index/IndexOps_mysql.java
@@ -538,6 +538,45 @@ class IndexOps_mysql extends IndexOps
 
   } // end releaseLock
 
+  boolean queryLock(int ndx, String lock) throws DatabaseException
+  {
+    Connection conn = null;
+    PreparedStatement stmt = null;
+    Statement stmt2 = null;
+    ResultSet rs = null;
+    try
+    { // get a connection
+      conn = getConnection();
+
+      // lock the table
+      stmt2 = conn.createStatement();
+      stmt2.executeUpdate("LOCK TABLES ndx_locks READ;");
+
+      // see if the lock is present
+      stmt = conn.prepareStatement("SELECT ndxid FROM ndx_locks WHERE ndxid = ? AND name = ?;");
+      stmt.setInt(1,ndx);
+      stmt.setString(2,lock);
+      rs = stmt.executeQuery();
+      return rs.next();  // present if true
+
+    } // end try
+    catch (SQLException e)
+    { // translate to a general DatabaseException
+      throw generalException(e);
+
+    } // end catch
+    finally
+    { // shut everything down
+      MySQLUtils.unlockTables(conn);
+      SQLUtils.shutdown(rs);
+      SQLUtils.shutdown(stmt);
+      SQLUtils.shutdown(stmt2);
+      SQLUtils.shutdown(conn);
+
+    } // end finally
+
+  } // end queryLock
+
   void releaseAllLocks(int ndx) throws DatabaseException
   {
     Connection conn = null;