diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b28eece..13367d7 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.14...3.25)
 
-include(cmake/git.cmake)
-
 project(SC
 LANGUAGES C
 HOMEPAGE_URL https://www.p4est.org/
 DESCRIPTION "The SC library supports parallel scientific applications."
-VERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION})
+VERSION 2.8.5)
 
 enable_testing()
 
@@ -20,6 +18,10 @@ endif()
 include(cmake/options.cmake)
 message(STATUS "libsc ${PROJECT_VERSION} "
                "install prefix: ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}")
+
+set(PROJECT_MAJOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR})
+set(PROJECT_MINOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR})
+set(PROJECT_PATCH ${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH})
 # options.cmake before config.cmake to determine user intent
 include(cmake/config.cmake)
 
@@ -39,8 +41,13 @@ target_include_directories(libb64 PRIVATE libb64)
 # --- sc
 add_library(sc $<TARGET_OBJECTS:iniparser> $<TARGET_OBJECTS:libb64>)
 target_compile_features(sc PRIVATE c_std_99)
-set_property(TARGET sc PROPERTY EXPORT_NAME SC)
-set_property(TARGET sc PROPERTY VERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION})
+set_target_properties(
+    sc PROPERTIES
+    EXPORT_NAME SC
+    VERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION}
+    SOVERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}
+)
+
 target_include_directories(sc
 PRIVATE iniparser libb64
 PUBLIC
@@ -62,13 +69,14 @@ target_link_libraries(SC::SC INTERFACE sc)
 install(DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/ ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/include/
 DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}
 FILES_MATCHING PATTERN "*.h"
+PATTERN "sc_builtin" EXCLUDE
 )
 
 install(TARGETS sc
   EXPORT ${PROJECT_NAME}-targets
-  ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib
-  LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
-  RUNTIME DESTINATION bin)
+  ARCHIVE DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}
+  LIBRARY DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}
+  RUNTIME DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR})
 
 add_subdirectory(src)
 add_subdirectory(example)
@@ -79,10 +87,6 @@ endif(BUILD_TESTING)
 
 # --- packaging
 
-install(FILES
-${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/FindSC.cmake
-DESTINATION cmake)
-
 include(cmake/pkgconf.cmake)
 include(cmake/install.cmake)
 
diff --git a/cmake/install.cmake b/cmake/install.cmake
index f093fa9..de6b2f2 100644
--- a/cmake/install.cmake
+++ b/cmake/install.cmake
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ include(CMakePackageConfigHelpers)
 
 configure_package_config_file(${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/config.cmake.in
 ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}Config.cmake
-INSTALL_DESTINATION cmake
+INSTALL_DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}
 )
 
 write_basic_package_version_file(
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ COMPATIBILITY SameMajorVersion
 
 install(EXPORT ${PROJECT_NAME}-targets
 NAMESPACE ${PROJECT_NAME}::
-DESTINATION cmake
+DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}
 )
 
 install(FILES
 ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}Config.cmake
 ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}ConfigVersion.cmake
-DESTINATION cmake
+DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/cmake/${PROJECT_NAME}
 )
 
 export(EXPORT ${PROJECT_NAME}-targets
diff --git a/cmake/pkgconf.cmake b/cmake/pkgconf.cmake
index 10f742b..a8387a9 100644
--- a/cmake/pkgconf.cmake
+++ b/cmake/pkgconf.cmake
@@ -13,18 +13,17 @@ convert_yn(SC_HAVE_JSON sc_have_json_pc)
 convert_yn(zlib zlib_pc)
 convert_yn(SC_ENABLE_DEBUG debug_build_pc)
 
-set(pc_filename libsc-${git_version}.pc)
+set(pc_filename "libsc-${PROJECT_VERSION}.pc")
 configure_file(${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/pkgconf.pc.in ${pc_filename} @ONLY)
 
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${pc_filename}
-        DESTINATION lib/pkgconfig)
+        DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/pkgconfig)
 
-set(pc_target ${pc_filename})
-set(pc_link ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/lib/pkgconfig/libsc.pc)
+set(pc_link libsc.pc)
 
-install(CODE "execute_process( \
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink \
-    ${pc_target} \
-    ${pc_link}   \
-    )"
-  )
+execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink
+  ${pc_filename}
+  ${pc_link}
+  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
+install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${pc_link}
+  DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/pkgconfig)
diff --git a/cmake/pkgconf.pc.in b/cmake/pkgconf.pc.in
index 6bbb72e..8244856 100644
--- a/cmake/pkgconf.pc.in
+++ b/cmake/pkgconf.pc.in
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
-
 prefix=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@
-exec_prefix=${prefix}
-libdir=${prefix}/lib
-includedir=${prefix}/include
-
-libsc_CC=@SC_CC@
-libsc_CFLAGS=@SC_CPPFLAGS@ @SC_CFLAGS@
+exec_prefix=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@
+libdir=@CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR@
+includedir=@CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_INCLUDEDIR@
 
 have_mpi=@mpi_pc@
 have_json=@sc_have_json_pc@
diff --git a/libsc.pc b/libsc.pc
new file mode 120000
index 0000000..c5cd578
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libsc.pc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+lib64/pkgconfig/libsc-2.8.5.pc
\ No newline at end of file