diff --git a/piclib/picrin/macro.scm b/piclib/picrin/macro.scm
index d798df0f..7f9ab9e4 100644
--- a/piclib/picrin/macro.scm
+++ b/piclib/picrin/macro.scm
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 ;;; Hygienic Macros
 
 (define-library (picrin macro)
-  (import (scheme base)
+  (import (picrin base core)
+          (scheme base)
           (picrin dictionary))
 
   ;; assumes no derived expressions are provided yet
diff --git a/piclib/scheme/base.scm b/piclib/scheme/base.scm
index 66fbe867..86d7a92e 100644
--- a/piclib/scheme/base.scm
+++ b/piclib/scheme/base.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 (define-library (scheme base)
-  (import (picrin macro))
+  (import (picrin base core)
+          (picrin macro))
+
+  (export define set! lambda quote
+          if begin define-syntax)
 
   ;; core syntax
 
diff --git a/src/init.c b/src/init.c
index f9c8dba8..c1b573db 100644
--- a/src/init.c
+++ b/src/init.c
@@ -62,10 +62,7 @@ pic_init_core(pic_state *pic)
 {
   size_t ai = pic_gc_arena_preserve(pic);
 
-  pic_deflibrary (pic, "(scheme base)") {
-
-    /* load core syntaces */
-    pic->lib->env = pic_null_syntactic_environment(pic);
+  pic_deflibrary (pic, "(picrin base core)") {
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sDEFINE, pic->rDEFINE);
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sSETBANG, pic->rSETBANG);
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sQUOTE, pic->rQUOTE);
@@ -73,7 +70,9 @@ pic_init_core(pic_state *pic)
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sIF, pic->rIF);
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sBEGIN, pic->rBEGIN);
     pic_define_syntactic_keyword(pic, pic->lib->env, pic->sDEFINE_SYNTAX, pic->rDEFINE_SYNTAX);
+  }
 
+  pic_deflibrary (pic, "(scheme base)") {
     pic_init_bool(pic); DONE;
     pic_init_pair(pic); DONE;
     pic_init_port(pic); DONE;