(debian-policy.info)Development files

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8.4 Development files
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If there are development files associated with a shared library, the
source package needs to generate a binary development package named
libraryname-dev, or if you need to support multiple development versions
at a time, librarynameapiversion-dev.  Installing the development
package must result in installation of all the development files
necessary for compiling programs against that shared library.  (1)

In case several development versions of a library exist, you may need to
use ‘dpkg’’s Conflicts mechanism (see Note: Conflicting binary packages
- Conflicts.) to ensure that the user only installs one development
version at a time (as different development versions are likely to have
the same header files in them, which would cause a filename clash if
both were unpacked).

The development package should contain a symlink for the associated
shared library without a version number.  For example, the libgdbm-dev
package should include a symlink from ‘/usr/lib/libgdbm.so’ to
‘libgdbm.so.3.0.0’.  This symlink is needed by the linker (‘ld’) when
compiling packages, as it will only look for ‘libgdbm.so’ when compiling
dynamically.

If the package provides Ada Library Information (‘*.ali’) files for use
with GNAT, these files must be installed read-only (mode 0444) so that
GNAT will not attempt to recompile them.  This overrides the normal file
mode requirements given in Note: Permissions and owners.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) This wording allows the development files to be split into
several packages, such as a separate architecture-independent
libraryname-headers, provided that the development package depends on
all the required additional packages.