diff --git a/src/ikarus.boot b/src/ikarus.boot
index c5487f8..fcc9f15 100644
Binary files a/src/ikarus.boot and b/src/ikarus.boot differ
diff --git a/src/ikarus.core.ss b/src/ikarus.core.ss
index 5113723..f842dbe 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.core.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.core.ss
@@ -70,27 +70,6 @@
       (error 'vector-length "~s is not a vector" x))
     ($vector-length x)))
 
-(let ()
-  (define fill!
-    (lambda (s i n c)
-      (cond
-        [($fx= i n) s]
-        [else
-         ($string-set! s i c)
-         (fill! s ($fx+ i 1) n c)])))
-  (define make-string
-    (case-lambda
-      [(n) 
-       (unless (and (fixnum? n) (fx>= n 0))
-         (error 'make-string "~s is not a valid length" n))
-       ($make-string n)]
-      [(n c)
-       (unless (and (fixnum? n) (fx>= n 0))
-         (error 'make-string "~s is not a valid length" n))
-       (unless (char? c)
-         (error 'make-string "~s is not a character" c))
-       (fill! ($make-string n) 0 n c)]))
-  (primitive-set! 'make-string make-string))
 
 
 (primitive-set! 'string-length
diff --git a/src/ikarus.strings.ss b/src/ikarus.strings.ss
index b6e06fc..5458773 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.strings.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.strings.ss
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 
 (library (ikarus strings)
-  (export string-ref)
+  (export string-ref make-string)
   (import 
-    (except (ikarus) string-ref)
-    (only (scheme) $string-ref $fx<= $fx< $string-length))
+    (except (ikarus) string-ref make-string)
+    (only (scheme) $string-ref $fx+ $fx= $fx<= $fx< $string-length
+          $make-string $string-set!))
+
   (define (string-ref s i)
     (unless (string? s) 
       (error 'string-ref "~s is not a string" s))
@@ -12,4 +14,29 @@
     (unless (and ($fx< i ($string-length s))
                  ($fx<= 0 i))
       (error 'string-ref "index ~s is out of range for ~s" i s))
-    ($string-ref s i)))
+    ($string-ref s i))
+  
+  
+  (define make-string
+    (let ()
+      (define fill!
+        (lambda (s i n c)
+          (cond
+            [($fx= i n) s]
+            [else
+             ($string-set! s i c)
+             (fill! s ($fx+ i 1) n c)])))
+      (define make-string
+        (case-lambda
+          [(n) 
+           (unless (and (fixnum? n) (fx>= n 0))
+             (error 'make-string "~s is not a valid length" n))
+           ($make-string n)]
+          [(n c)
+           (unless (and (fixnum? n) (fx>= n 0))
+             (error 'make-string "~s is not a valid length" n))
+           (unless (char? c)
+             (error 'make-string "~s is not a character" c))
+           (fill! ($make-string n) 0 n c)]))
+        make-string))
+  )