How to package a Python module with shared libraries ?

[Sylvestre Ledru <sylvestre@debian.org>]

Hello guys,

I am trying to package sciscipy [1], a Python module to call
transparently Scilab's features.

However, I have some problems to have sciscipy loading the Scilab
libraries.

There is some elements:
* In the Scilab packaging, libscilab.so is an empty library which
references all Scilab's internal and external dependencies.

* All Scilab libraries are stored in /usr/lib/scilab/

* cdll.LoadLibrary("/usr/lib/scilab/libscilab.so") will fails
since /usr/lib/scilab is not in the search path for libraries

* setting thhe LD_LIBRARY_PATH into Python does not fix things since it
seems it is only used on startup
os.environ["LD_LIBRARY_PATH"]="/usr/lib/scilab/" 

* I don't want load explicitly all Scilab libraries (there are a few)

* Calling python the following way make things work:
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/scilab python 
but I want to avoid the user to have to do manipulations

Does anyone has a trick to fix my problem ? 

Thanks
Sylvestre
PS: Please C/C me, I am not subscribed.

[1] http://forge.scilab.org/index.php/p/sciscipy/