diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index be3c5c23..6f1df29b 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 1999-12-05  Martin Baulig  <martin@home-of-linux.org>
 
+	* glibtop.h (glibtop): Added `refcount' field.
+	* lib/init.c (glibtop_server_ref, glibtop_server_unref): New
+	functions to deal with refcounts.
+
 	* structures.def: New file. This is used by the language bindings
 	code to get the definitions of some of LibGTop's structures.
 
diff --git a/glibtop.h b/glibtop.h
index 0d861d36..2a251108 100644
--- a/glibtop.h
+++ b/glibtop.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ typedef struct _glibtop		glibtop;
 
 struct _glibtop
 {
+	int refcount;			/* Reference count */
 	unsigned flags;
 	unsigned method;		/* Server Method */
 	unsigned error_method;		/* Error Method */
@@ -86,6 +87,12 @@ glibtop_init_s (glibtop **server_ptr,
 		unsigned long features,
 		unsigned flags);
 
+void
+glibtop_server_ref (glibtop *server);
+
+void
+glibtop_server_unref (glibtop *server);
+
 #ifdef GLIBTOP_GUILE
 
 /* You need to link with -lgtop_guile to get this stuff here. */
diff --git a/lib/init.c b/lib/init.c
index 9050598a..5864119c 100644
--- a/lib/init.c
+++ b/lib/init.c
@@ -154,6 +154,30 @@ _init_server (glibtop *server, const unsigned features)
 	glibtop_free_r (server, command);
 }
 
+void
+glibtop_server_ref (glibtop *server)
+{
+	if (server == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	server->refcount++;
+}
+
+void
+glibtop_server_unref (glibtop *server)
+{
+	if (server == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	if (!server->refcount) {
+		glibtop_warn_r (server, "Attempted to unref server "
+				"which refcount == 0");
+		return;
+	}
+
+	server->refcount--;
+}
+
 glibtop *
 glibtop_init_r (glibtop **server_ptr, unsigned long features, unsigned flags)
 {