diff --git a/include/class_loader/class_loader.hpp b/include/class_loader/class_loader.hpp
index 27da8cf..850c7e1 100644
--- a/include/class_loader/class_loader.hpp
+++ b/include/class_loader/class_loader.hpp
@@ -171,6 +171,8 @@ class ClassLoader
    *
    * Creating an unmanaged instance disables dynamically unloading libraries when
    * managed pointers go out of scope for all class loaders in this process.
+   * The library the instance came from stays in memory until the process exits, so the instance
+   * remains usable after this ClassLoader is destroyed or the library is unloaded.
    *
    * @param derived_class_name
    *   The name of the class we want to create (@see getAvailableClasses()).
@@ -357,6 +359,11 @@ class ClassLoader
     Base * obj = class_loader::impl::createInstance<Base>(derived_class_name, this,
         std::forward<Args>(args)...);
 
+    if (!managed) {
+      // Unmanaged instances may outlive this loader or its library being unloaded.
+      class_loader::impl::pinLibrary(getLibraryPath());
+    }
+
     if (managed) {
       std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> lock(plugin_ref_count_mutex_);
       ++plugin_ref_count_;
diff --git a/include/class_loader/class_loader_core.hpp b/include/class_loader/class_loader_core.hpp
index 418418b..7605d00 100644
--- a/include/class_loader/class_loader_core.hpp
+++ b/include/class_loader/class_loader_core.hpp
@@ -469,6 +469,18 @@ void loadLibrary(const std::string & library_path, ClassLoader * loader);
 CLASS_LOADER_PUBLIC
 void unloadLibrary(const std::string & library_path, ClassLoader * loader);
 
+/**
+ * @brief Keeps a loaded library mapped in memory until the process exits.
+ *
+ * Used for libraries that unmanaged instances were created from: nothing tells class_loader when
+ * those are deleted, so the library's code must stay mapped even after it is unloaded.
+ * Bookkeeping is unaffected; unloadLibrary() still detaches it from its ClassLoaders.
+ *
+ * @param library_path - The name of the (already loaded) library to pin
+ */
+CLASS_LOADER_PUBLIC
+void pinLibrary(const std::string & library_path);
+
 }  // namespace impl
 }  // namespace class_loader
 
diff --git a/src/class_loader_core.cpp b/src/class_loader_core.cpp
index 6c08c37..d59afd2 100644
--- a/src/class_loader_core.cpp
+++ b/src/class_loader_core.cpp
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
+#ifdef _WIN32
+#include <windows.h>
+#else
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#endif
+
 namespace class_loader
 {
 namespace impl
@@ -470,6 +476,32 @@ void loadLibrary(const std::string & library_path, ClassLoader * loader)
   open_libraries.push_back(LibraryPair(library_path, library_handle));
 }
 
+void pinLibrary(const std::string & library_path)
+{
+  std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> llv_lock(getLoadedLibraryVectorMutex());
+  LibraryVector::iterator itr = findLoadedLibrary(library_path);
+  if (itr == getLoadedLibraryVector().end()) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const std::string & path = itr->second->get_library_path();
+#ifdef _WIN32
+  HMODULE handle = nullptr;
+  const bool pinned = GetModuleHandleExA(GET_MODULE_HANDLE_EX_FLAG_PIN, path.c_str(), &handle);
+#else
+  // RTLD_NOLOAD only looks up the already-loaded library; RTLD_NODELETE keeps it mapped.
+  void * handle = dlopen(path.c_str(), RTLD_LAZY | RTLD_NOLOAD | RTLD_NODELETE);
+  const bool pinned = handle != nullptr;
+  if (pinned) {
+    dlclose(handle);  // Drops the reference this call added; the library stays pinned.
+  }
+#endif
+  if (!pinned) {
+    CONSOLE_BRIDGE_logWarn(
+      "class_loader.impl: Could not pin library %s; unloading it while unmanaged instances "
+      "exist will crash.", path.c_str());
+  }
+}
+
 void unloadLibrary(const std::string & library_path, ClassLoader * loader)
 {
   std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> loader_lock(getLoaderMutex());
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 8c72c68..ca10ba8 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ if(TARGET ${PROJECT_NAME}_unmanaged_test)
   target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME}_unmanaged_test ${PROJECT_NAME} project_options)
   add_dependencies(${PROJECT_NAME}_unmanaged_test
     ${PROJECT_NAME}_TestPlugins1
+    ${PROJECT_NAME}_TestPlugins2
     ${PROJECT_NAME}_TestPlugins3)
 endif()
 
diff --git a/test/unmanaged_test.cpp b/test/unmanaged_test.cpp
index 3eeb96b..1125fe0 100644
--- a/test/unmanaged_test.cpp
+++ b/test/unmanaged_test.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <string>
 
 #include "class_loader/class_loader.hpp"
+#include "class_loader/multi_library_class_loader.hpp"
 
 #include "gtest/gtest.h"
 
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@
 // run in their own executable.
 
 const std::string LIBRARY_1 = class_loader::systemLibraryFormat("class_loader_TestPlugins1");  // NOLINT
+const std::string LIBRARY_2 = class_loader::systemLibraryFormat("class_loader_TestPlugins2");  // NOLINT
 const std::string LIBRARY_3 = class_loader::systemLibraryFormat("class_loader_TestPlugins3");  // NOLINT
 
 TEST(ClassLoaderUnmanagedTest, basicLoadUnmanaged) {
@@ -60,6 +62,31 @@ TEST(ClassLoaderUnmanagedTest, constructorLoadUnmanaged) {
   delete unmanaged_instance;
 }
 
+// ros/class_loader#218: an unmanaged instance must stay usable after its loader is destroyed.
+TEST(ClassLoaderUnmanagedTest, instanceOutlivesLoader) {
+  auto loader = std::make_unique<class_loader::ClassLoader>(LIBRARY_1, false);
+  std::unique_ptr<Base> unmanaged(loader->createUnmanagedInstance<Base>("Cat"));
+  loader.reset();
+  EXPECT_FALSE(class_loader::impl::isLibraryLoadedByAnybody(LIBRARY_1));
+  EXPECT_EQ("Meow", unmanaged->saySomething());
+  unmanaged.reset();
+
+  // The library can still be loaded again afterwards.
+  class_loader::ClassLoader loader2(LIBRARY_1, false);
+  EXPECT_EQ("Meow", loader2.createUniqueInstance<Base>("Cat")->saySomething());
+}
+
+// Same, through MultiLibraryClassLoader, as used by pluginlib.
+TEST(ClassLoaderUnmanagedTest, instanceOutlivesMultiLibraryClassLoader) {
+  for (bool lazy : {false, true}) {
+    auto loader = std::make_unique<class_loader::MultiLibraryClassLoader>(lazy);
+    loader->loadLibrary(LIBRARY_2);
+    std::unique_ptr<Base> unmanaged(loader->createUnmanagedInstance<Base>("Robot"));
+    loader.reset();
+    EXPECT_EQ("Beep boop", unmanaged->saySomething());
+  }
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char ** argv)
 {
   testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);