diff --git a/lib/entropy/client/interfaces/package/preservedlibs.py b/lib/entropy/client/interfaces/package/preservedlibs.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..165458f82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/entropy/client/interfaces/package/preservedlibs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+"""
+
+    @author: Fabio Erculiani <lxnay@sabayon.org>
+    @contact: lxnay@sabayon.org
+    @copyright: Fabio Erculiani
+    @license: GPL-2
+
+    B{Entropy Package Manager Client Package Interface}.
+
+"""
+import os
+
+
+class PreservedLibraries(object):
+    """
+    Preserved libraries management class.
+
+    This class can be used to determine if a library should be
+    preserved, garbage collect the currently preserved libraries,
+    retrieving the list of preserved libraries, etc.
+
+    An instance of this class should be used just for one package and then
+    thrown away.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, installed_repository, provided_libraries, root = None):
+        """
+        Object constructor.
+
+        @param installed_repository: an EntropyRepository object pointing
+            to the installed packages repository
+        @type installed_repository: EntropyRepository
+        @param provided_libraries: set of libraries that a package provides,
+            typically this is the data returned by
+            EntropyRepository.retrieveProvidedLibraries()
+        @type provided_libraries: set
+        @keyword root: path to the root directory minus the trailing "/".
+            For "/" it's just "" or None.
+        @type root: string
+        """
+        self._inst_repo = installed_repository
+        self._raw_provided = provided_libraries
+        self._provided = dict(((l_path, (library, l_path, elfclass)) for
+                               library, l_path, elfclass in provided_libraries))
+        self._root = root or ""
+        self._search_needed_cache = {}
+
+    def installed_repository(self):
+        """
+        Return the installed packages repository used by this object.
+        """
+        return self._inst_repo
+
+    def determine(self, library_path):
+        """
+        Determine if the passed library path requires protection.
+
+        The returned data is a set of paths that should be protected and
+        stored in the installed packages repository.
+
+        @param library_path: path to a library that would be removed (without
+            the root prefix)
+        @type library_path: string
+        @return: set of paths to protect
+        @rtype: set
+        """
+        provided_path = self._provided.get(library_path)
+        paths = set()
+
+        if provided_path is None:
+            # the item should not be protected
+            return paths
+
+        library, _path, elfclass = provided_path
+
+        installed_package_ids = self._search_needed(library, elfclass)
+        if not installed_package_ids:
+            # no packages need this library
+            return paths
+
+        recursion = 100
+        root_library_path = self._root + library_path
+
+        paths.add(library_path)
+        while os.path.islink(root_library_path) and recursion:
+            # avoid infinite recursion
+            recursion -= 1
+
+            path_link = os.readlink(root_library_path)
+            root_library_path = os.path.join(
+                os.path.dirname(root_library_path),
+                path_link)
+
+            library_path = os.path.join(
+                os.path.dirname(library_path),
+                path_link)
+            paths.add(library_path)
+
+        return paths
+
+    def _search_needed(self, library, elfclass):
+        """
+        Search the package ids that need the given library.
+        """
+        cache_key = (library, elfclass)
+        installed_package_ids = self._search_needed_cache.get(
+            cache_key)
+        if installed_package_ids is None:
+            installed_package_ids = self._inst_repo.searchNeeded(
+                library, elfclass = elfclass)
+            self._search_needed_cache[cache_key] = installed_package_ids
+
+        return installed_package_ids
+
+    def needed(self, library_path):
+        """
+        Return a set of installed packages identifiers that need the
+        given library.
+
+        @param library_path: path to a library that would be removed (without
+            the root prefix)
+        @type library_path: string
+        @return: set of package identifiers
+        @rtype: set
+        """
+        provided_path = self._provided.get(library_path)
+        if provided_path is None:
+            return set()
+
+        library, _path, elfclass = provided_path
+        return self._search_needed(library, elfclass)
+
+    def collect(self):
+        """
+        Return a list of collectable preserved libraries items that can be
+        removed from the registry in the installed packages repository.
+
+        @return: a list of preserved library items (library, elfclass, path)
+        @rtype: list
+        """
+        preserved_libs = self._inst_repo.listAllPreservedLibraries()
+
+        collectables = []
+        for library, elfclass, path in preserved_libs:
+
+            item = (library, elfclass, path)
+            root_path = self._root + path
+
+            # path no longer exists
+            if not os.path.lexists(root_path):
+                collectables.append(item)
+                continue
+
+            # broken symlink, gc
+            if not os.path.exists(root_path):
+                collectables.append(item)
+                continue
+
+            # are all installed packages happy?
+            package_ids = self._search_needed(library, elfclass)
+            if not package_ids:
+                collectables.append(item)
+                continue
+
+            # is the file owned by a package in the repo?
+            # if so, we assume that the entry could be removed
+            # from the registry
+            if self._inst_repo.isFileAvailable(path):
+                collectables.append(item)
+                continue
+
+        return collectables
+
+    def remove(self, library, elfclass, path):
+        """
+        Remove the given preserved library element from the registry in
+        the installed packages repository.
+        """
+        self._inst_repo.removePreservedLibrary(library, elfclass, path)