diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index c63c3268..5c3ce56f 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ print [@
 /* typedef @sys/types/size/4_u_int@ xuint32_t; */
 /* typedef @sys/types/size/4_s_int@ xint32_t; */
 #define PREFIX               "@/local/xschem/prefix@"
-#define XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH  "@/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path@"
+#define XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH { @/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path@ }
 #define USER_CONF_DIR        "@/local/xschem/user-conf-dir@"
 #define XSCHEM_SHAREDIR      PREFIX "/share/xschem"
 
diff --git a/scconfig/hooks.c b/scconfig/hooks.c
index a132babd..eb68de51 100644
--- a/scconfig/hooks.c
+++ b/scconfig/hooks.c
@@ -155,64 +155,81 @@ int hook_postarg()
         }
 
         if (get("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path") == NULL) {
-                put("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/user-lib-path"));
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/sys-lib-path"));
+                put("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\\\n    \"");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/user-lib-path"));
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/sys-lib-path"));
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
+
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/examples");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/ngspice");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/ngspice_verilog_cosim");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/logic");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/xschem_simulator");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/generators");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/inst_sch_select");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/binto7seg");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/pcb");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/rom8k");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
 
-                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", ":");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\"");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", get("/local/xschem/prefix"));
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "/");
                 append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "share/doc/xschem/analyses");
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "\",\\\n    ");
+
+                append("/local/xschem/xschem-lib-path", "NULL");
 
         }
         return 0;
diff --git a/src/globals.c b/src/globals.c
index 69bc92b2..e1942621 100644
--- a/src/globals.c
+++ b/src/globals.c
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ int help=0; /* help option set to global scope, printing help is deferred */
             /* when configuration xschemrc has been read 20140406 */
 FILE *errfp = NULL;
 int exit_code = 0; /* success */
+const char *xschem_library_path[] = XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH;
 char home_dir[PATH_MAX]; /* home dir obtained via getpwuid */
 char user_conf_dir[PATH_MAX];
 char sel_file[PATH_MAX]="";
diff --git a/src/scheduler.c b/src/scheduler.c
index 4bf29bea..6022567d 100644
--- a/src/scheduler.c
+++ b/src/scheduler.c
@@ -2184,6 +2184,8 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "need_reb_sel_arr=%d\n", xctx->need_reb_sel_arr); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "undo_type=%d\n", xctx->undo_type); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "******* end global variables:*******\n"); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
+      my_snprintf(res, S(res), "XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH=%s\n",
+        tclgetvar("XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH")); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
 
 #ifdef __unix__
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "******* Xserver options: *******\n"); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
@@ -2215,9 +2217,6 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
       #ifdef USER_CONF_DIR
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "USER_CONF_DIR=%s\n", USER_CONF_DIR); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
       #endif
-      #ifdef XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH
-      my_snprintf(res, S(res), "XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH=%s\n", XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
-      #endif
       #ifdef HAS_SNPRINTF
       my_snprintf(res, S(res), "HAS_SNPRINTF=%s\n", HAS_SNPRINTF); Tcl_AppendResult(interp, res, NULL);
       #endif
diff --git a/src/xinit.c b/src/xinit.c
index 2cdf8759..4d24adbe 100644
--- a/src/xinit.c
+++ b/src/xinit.c
@@ -2504,10 +2504,13 @@ int Tcl_AppInit(Tcl_Interp *inter)
    dbg(1, "Using compile-time XSCHEM_SHAREDIR = %s\n", XSCHEM_SHAREDIR);
  }
  
- my_snprintf(tmp, S(tmp),"regsub -all {~/} {%s} {%s/}", XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH, home_dir);
- tcleval(tmp);
- tclsetvar("XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH", tclresult());
-
+ /* build TCL XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH from const array of strings xschem_library_path */
+ tcleval("set XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH {}");
+ for(i = 0;; i++) {
+   if(!xschem_library_path[i]) break;
+   if(i) tcleval("append XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH :");
+   tclvareval("append XSCHEM_LIBRARY_PATH ", xschem_library_path[i], NULL);
+ }
 
  /* create user conf dir , remove ~ if present */
  my_snprintf(tmp, S(tmp),"regsub {^~/} {%s} {%s/}", USER_CONF_DIR, home_dir);
diff --git a/src/xschem.h b/src/xschem.h
index 200074ff..ce38145c 100644
--- a/src/xschem.h
+++ b/src/xschem.h
@@ -1215,6 +1215,7 @@ extern int help;
 extern char *cad_icon[];
 extern FILE *errfp;
 extern int exit_code;
+extern const char *xschem_library_path[];
 extern char home_dir[PATH_MAX]; /* home dir obtained via getpwuid */
 extern char user_conf_dir[PATH_MAX]; /* usually ~/.xschem */
 extern char sel_file[PATH_MAX];