diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/default.nix
index db85f5233526..952d4ba9f255 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/default.nix
@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH="$out/lib/slib" make catalogs
 
     sed -i "$out/bin/slib" \
-        -e "/^SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH/i export PATH=\"${scheme}/bin:$PATH\""
+        -e "/^SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH/i export PATH=\"${scheme}/bin:\$PATH\""
   '';
 
   # There's no test suite (?!).
   doCheck = false;
 
+  setupHook = ./setup-hook.sh;
+
   meta = {
     description = "The SLIB Portable Scheme Library";
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/setup-hook.sh b/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/setup-hook.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..32dde7d1f7a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/slib/setup-hook.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+addSlibPath () {
+    if test -f "$1/lib/slib/slibcat"
+    then
+	export SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH="$1/lib/slib/"
+	echo "SLIB found in \`$1'; setting \$SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH to \`$SCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH'"
+
+	# This is needed so that `(load-from-path "slib/guile.init")' works.
+	export GUILE_LOAD_PATH="$1/lib:$GUILE_LOAD_PATH"
+	echo "SLIB: setting \$GUILE_LOAD_PATH to \`$GUILE_LOAD_PATH'"
+    fi
+}
+
+envHooks=(${envHooks[@]} addSlibPath)