How to compile a program which needs a newer version of glib

I am trying to compile Webkit on Ubuntu 8.04. But when i run autogen.sh, I get the following error saying it needs a newer version of glib. So what is the safest way to install glib without screwing up the rest of my OS (since the rest needs 2.16 while webkit compile needs 2.21)?

checking for GLIB... configure: error: Package requirements (glib-2.0 >= 2.21.3
                  gobject-2.0 >= 2.0
                  gthread-2.0 >= 2.0) were not met:

Requested 'glib-2.0 >= 2.21.3' but version of GLib is 2.16.6

Consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_P开发者_运维技巧ATH environment variable if you
installed software in a non-standard prefix.

Alternatively, you may set the environment variables GLIB_CFLAGS
and GLIB_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
See the pkg-config man page for more details.

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You could of course build and install glib 2.21 using configure's --prefix option to install it somewhere "local", i.e. under $HOME. That might require passing suitable flags when you configure the WebKit package, but it's standard procedure.