[tex-live] Package preparation question (directory structure)

[Karl Berry]

    Do you think the issue is general enough to justify a self-answered
    question on stackoverflow to help someone running into a similar
    situation?

I have no opinion.

    where should I place the common library file(s

Ok, have two directories in your CTAN upload zip:
bin/{exec1,exec2,...}.py
lib/{lib1,lib2,...}.py

    kpsewhich only seems to find the library when it is stored in the
    texlive installation directory, and not if it is located in my
    personal ~/texmf tree.

Works for me.  You have to create the TDS structure under ~/texmf.
In an unaltered TL13 installation:

$ mkdir ~/texmf/scripts/foo
$ touch ~/texmf/scripts/foo/bar.py
$ kpsewhich --progname=foo --format=texmfscripts bar.py
/u/karl/texmf/scripts/foo/bar.py

    - Installation from CTAN zip:
       library is in a different directory but not found through kpsewhich.

It is standard for people installing directly from CTAN to have to "move
files to the correct TDS directories".  In other words, you don't have
to worry about the case of people just unzipping the package and
expecting to be able to run the scripts directly.

karl