diff --git a/src/mac/README.txt b/src/mac/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..05f9509cbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mac/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+Information on building 3rd-party libraries needed for
+Mac OS X GRacket.
+
+Get these packages (or newer, if compatible):
+ pkg-config-0.23.tar.gz
+ gettext-0.17.tar.gz
+ libpng-1.4.0.tar.gz 
+ pixman-0.17.14.tar.gz
+ cairo-1.9.6.tar.gz
+ glib-2.22.4.tar.gz
+ pango-1.28.0.tar.gz
+ libjpeg62 (maybe in binary form)
+
+Patches:
+ cairo/src/cairo-quartz-font.c:656:
+    if (width < 1) width = 1;
+    if (height < 1) height = 1;
+ glib/glib/gconvert.c:54:
+   #if !(defined(__APPLE__) && defined(__LP64__)) && !defined(USE_LIBICONV_GNU) && defined (_LIBICONV_H) 
+ pango/pango/modules.c:573:
+   // read_modules ();
+
+Configures (where <dest> is some temporary area):
+  pkg-config: --prefix=<dest>
+  gettext: --prefix=<dest>
+  libpng: --prefix=<dest>
+  pixman: --prefix=<dest>
+  Cairo: PATH=<dest>/bin --disable-xlib --disable-ft --disable-fc --prefix=<dest>
+  glib: PATH=<dest>/bin CFLAGS=-I<dest>/include LDFLAGS=-L<dest>/lib --prefix=<dest>
+  Pango: PATH=<dest>/bin --without-x --with-included-modules=yes --with-dynamic-modules=no
+
+ Note: PATH above ensures that pkg-config binaries are used to find
+ things in <dest> rather than some other area, such as /opt/local.
+
+Install:
+  racket install-libs.rkt <dest>/lib
+   * using `racket' for the target installation
+   * do not include a trailing slash
+   * double-check installed libraries to ensure that they do not
+     have <dest> in their shared-library paths
diff --git a/src/mac/install-libs.rkt b/src/mac/install-libs.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c0bad7dbca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mac/install-libs.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#lang scheme
+(require scheme/system)
+
+(define from (vector-ref (current-command-line-arguments) 0))
+(define to (path->string (simplify-path (build-path (collection-path "scheme") 'up 'up "lib/") #f)))
+
+(define libs
+  '("libgio-2.0.0"
+    "libgmodule-2.0.0"
+    "libgthread-2.0.0"
+    "libglib-2.0.0"
+    "libgobject-2.0.0"
+    "libintl.8"
+    "libpango-1.0.0"
+    "libpangocairo-1.0.0"
+    "libcairo.2"
+    "libpixman-1.0"
+    "libpng14.14"
+    "libjpeg.62"))
+
+(define (fixup p p-new)
+  (printf "Fixing ~s\n" p-new)
+  (system (format "install_name_tool -id ~a ~a" p-new p-new))
+  (for-each (lambda (s)
+              (system (format "install_name_tool -change ~a @loader_path/~a ~a" 
+                              (format "~a/~a.dylib" from s)
+                              (format "~a.dylib" s)
+                              p-new)))
+            libs))
+
+(define (install p)
+  (let* ([p (format "~a.dylib" p)]
+         [dest (string-append to p)])
+    (when (file-exists? dest) (delete-file dest))
+    (copy-file (build-path from p) dest)
+    (fixup p dest)))
+
+(for-each install libs)