diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a7cffc6..e08c745 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ endif()
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
 
 add_subdirectory(lib)
-if(NOT BUILD_EXPORTED_TARGETS_ONLY)
+if(NOT BUILD_EXPORTED_TARGETS_ONLY AND BUILD_TESTING)
   enable_testing()
   add_subdirectory(test)
 endif()
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index e40d884..2c1d012 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -45,8 +45,11 @@ or pass them as command line options at the configuration phase, e.g.::
 Testing
 -------
 
-A few tests / usage examples can be found in the `test/` subdirectory. The
-compiled test programs will be in the `test/` subfolder of your build directory.
+A few tests / usage examples can be found in the `test/` subdirectory,
+a sub-set of which can be checked with ctest. The compiled test
+programs will be in the `test/` subfolder of your build directory.
+
+To enable building, include the cmake option -DBUILD_TESTING=ON
 
 
 Using the library