diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 23569ca..1196d1f 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -5,6 +5,31 @@ version = 3
 [[package]]
 name = "c-bindings"
 version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "cty",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "cc"
+version = "1.0.83"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f1174fb0b6ec23863f8b971027804a42614e347eafb0a95bf0b12cdae21fc4d0"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "cty"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b365fabc795046672053e29c954733ec3b05e4be654ab130fe8f1f94d7051f35"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "libc"
+version = "0.2.147"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b4668fb0ea861c1df094127ac5f1da3409a82116a4ba74fca2e58ef927159bb3"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rs-basic"
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/Cargo.toml b/members/c-bindings/Cargo.toml
index f10ea2e..23a9a38 100644
--- a/members/c-bindings/Cargo.toml
+++ b/members/c-bindings/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,13 @@
 name = "c-bindings"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
+links = "test" 		# this is the important part! cargo will search for some library called `test` (i.e. libtest.a)
+build = "src/build.rs"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
 [dependencies]
+cty = "0.2.2"
+
+[build-dependencies]
+cc = "1.0.83"
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/lib/CMakeLists.txt b/members/c-bindings/lib/CMakeLists.txt
index 634d518..66e5a57 100644
--- a/members/c-bindings/lib/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/members/c-bindings/lib/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.9)
 project(test VERSION 1.0.1 DESCRIPTION "test lib")
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
-add_library(test SHARED test.c)
+add_library(test STATIC test.c)
 set_target_properties(test PROPERTIES
     VERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION}
     SOVERSION 1
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/lib/Makefile b/members/c-bindings/lib/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index aae36f6..0000000
--- a/members/c-bindings/lib/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,230 +0,0 @@
-# CMAKE generated file: DO NOT EDIT!
-# Generated by "Unix Makefiles" Generator, CMake Version 3.22
-
-# Default target executed when no arguments are given to make.
-default_target: all
-.PHONY : default_target
-
-# Allow only one "make -f Makefile2" at a time, but pass parallelism.
-.NOTPARALLEL:
-
-#=============================================================================
-# Special targets provided by cmake.
-
-# Disable implicit rules so canonical targets will work.
-.SUFFIXES:
-
-# Disable VCS-based implicit rules.
-% : %,v
-
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-% : RCS/%
-
-# Disable VCS-based implicit rules.
-% : RCS/%,v
-
-# Disable VCS-based implicit rules.
-% : SCCS/s.%
-
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-% : s.%
-
-.SUFFIXES: .hpux_make_needs_suffix_list
-
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-$(VERBOSE)MAKESILENT = -s
-
-#Suppress display of executed commands.
-$(VERBOSE).SILENT:
-
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-cmake_force:
-.PHONY : cmake_force
-
-#=============================================================================
-# Set environment variables for the build.
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-# The shell in which to execute make rules.
-SHELL = /bin/sh
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-	/usr/bin/cmake -E echo No\ interactive\ CMake\ dialog\ available.
-.PHONY : edit_cache
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-edit_cache/fast: edit_cache
-.PHONY : edit_cache/fast
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-	/usr/bin/cmake --regenerate-during-build -S$(CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR) -B$(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR)
-.PHONY : rebuild_cache
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-# Special rule for the target rebuild_cache
-rebuild_cache/fast: rebuild_cache
-.PHONY : rebuild_cache/fast
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-.PHONY : install/strip/fast
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-# The main all target
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-	@echo "The following are some of the valid targets for this Makefile:"
-	@echo "... all (the default if no target is provided)"
-	@echo "... clean"
-	@echo "... depend"
-	@echo "... edit_cache"
-	@echo "... install"
-	@echo "... install/local"
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-.PHONY : help
-
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-# Special targets to cleanup operation of make.
-
-# Special rule to run CMake to check the build system integrity.
-# No rule that depends on this can have commands that come from listfiles
-# because they might be regenerated.
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diff --git a/members/c-bindings/lib/test.c b/members/c-bindings/lib/test.c
index 511b773..e7eae97 100644
--- a/members/c-bindings/lib/test.c
+++ b/members/c-bindings/lib/test.c
@@ -1,5 +1,17 @@
 #include "test.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 int ret19() {
 	return 19;
 }
+
+char* structInfo(MyStruct *st) {
+		char* buf = malloc(1024*sizeof(char));
+		/* snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "foo: %d\n", st->foo); */
+		/* snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "bar: %c", st->bar); */
+		sprintf(buf,"Infos about the struct:\nfoo:\t%d\nbar:\t%c\n\ngreetings from C", st->foo, st->bar);
+
+		return buf;
+}
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/lib/test.h b/members/c-bindings/lib/test.h
index c771912..b669d58 100644
--- a/members/c-bindings/lib/test.h
+++ b/members/c-bindings/lib/test.h
@@ -1 +1,6 @@
 int ret19();
+typedef struct MyStruct {
+	int foo;
+	char bar;
+} MyStruct;
+char* stuctInfo(MyStruct st);
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/src/build.rs b/members/c-bindings/src/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb5d0c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/members/c-bindings/src/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+/// 
+/// we could simply do this to compile the test lib to a static lib,
+/// but that solution might not scale as good as calling a professional
+/// build system
+#[allow(unused)]
+fn main() {
+    // Tell Cargo that if the given file changes, to rerun this build script.
+    println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=src/hello.c");
+    cc::Build::new()
+        .file("lib/test.c")
+        .compile("test");
+}
diff --git a/members/c-bindings/src/main.rs b/members/c-bindings/src/main.rs
index e7a11a9..50c9968 100644
--- a/members/c-bindings/src/main.rs
+++ b/members/c-bindings/src/main.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,42 @@
-fn main() {
-    println!("Hello, world!");
+use cty;
+
+// we first need to declare bindings for our C code.
+// This can be automated too, but I did it myself here.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+#[repr(C)]
+pub struct MyStruct {
+    pub foo: cty::c_int,
+    pub bar: cty::c_char,
+}
+
+// The functions too of course
+extern "C" {
+    pub fn ret19() -> isize;
+    pub fn structInfo(st: &MyStruct) -> *const cty::c_char;
+}
+
+///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+fn main() {
+    // calling random C functions is generally treated as unsafe.
+    // Best practice is programming wrapper functions that give it
+    // confirmed safe inputs
+    let qux = unsafe { ret19() };
+    println!("`ret19()` returned {qux}");
+    let st = MyStruct {
+        foo: 17, bar: 0x41
+    };
+    // converting a c "string" to a real rust String is
+    // a bit complicated
+    let info: &str = unsafe {
+        // convert the returned value to a rust internal CStr.
+        std::ffi::CStr::from_ptr(
+            // the function returns a pointer to a array of chars on the heap
+            structInfo(&st)
+        )
+            // now to a string slice (result)
+            .to_str()
+            .unwrap()
+    };
+    println!("{info}");
 }