diff --git a/lib/chibi/strings.scm b/lib/chibi/strings.scm
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b157ea3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/chibi/strings.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+;; strings.scm -- cursor-oriented string library
+;; Copyright (c) 2012 Alex Shinn.  All rights reserved.
+;; BSD-style license: http://synthcode.com/license.txt
+
+(define (string-null? str)
+  (equal? str ""))
+
+;; TODO: support character sets
+(define (make-char-predicate x)
+  (cond ((procedure? x) x)
+        ((char? x) (lambda (ch) (eq? ch x)))
+        (else (error "invalid character predicate" x))))
+
+(define (complement pred) (lambda (x) (not (pred x))))
+
+(define (string-every x str)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate x))
+        (end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start str)))
+      (if (string-cursor>=? i end)
+          #t
+          (and (pred (string-cursor-ref str i))
+               (lp (string-cursor-next str i)))))))
+
+(define (string-any x str)
+  (not (string-every (complement (make-char-predicate x)) str)))
+
+(define (string-index str x . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate x))
+        (end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (if (pair? o) (car o) (string-cursor-start str))))
+      (cond ((string-cursor>=? i end) #f)
+            ((pred (string-ref str i)) i)
+            (else (lp (string-cursor-next str i)))))))
+
+(define (string-index-right str x . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate x))
+        (end (string-cursor-start str)))
+    (let lp ((i (if (pair? o)
+                    (car o)
+                    (string-cursor-prev str (string-cursor-end str)))))
+      (cond ((string-cursor<? i end) #f)
+            ((pred (string-ref str i)) i)
+            (else (lp (string-cursor-prev str i)))))))
+
+(define (string-skip str x . o)
+  (apply string-index (complement (make-char-predicate x)) o))
+
+(define (string-skip-right str x . o)
+  (apply string-index-right (complement (make-char-predicate x)) o))
+
+(define string-join string-concatenate)
+
+(define (string-split str . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate (if (pair? o) (car o) " ")))
+        (end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start str)) (res '()))
+      (let ((j (string-index str pred i)))
+        (if j
+            (lp (string-cursor-next str j)
+                (cons (substring-cursor str i j) res))
+            (reverse (cons (substring-cursor str i end) res)))))))
+
+(define (string-trim-left str . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate (if (pair? o) (car o) " "))))
+    (substring-cursor str (string-skip str pred))))
+
+(define (string-trim-right str . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate (if (pair? o) (car o) " "))))
+    (substring-cursor str
+                      (string-cursor-start str)
+                      (string-skip-right str pred))))
+
+(define (string-trim str . o)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate (if (pair? o) (car o) " "))))
+    (string-trim-right (string-trim-left str pred) pred)))
+
+(define (string-mismatch prefix str)
+  (let ((end1 (string-cursor-end prefix))
+        (end2 (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start prefix))
+             (j (string-cursor-start str)))
+      (if (or (string-cursor>=? i end1)
+              (string-cursor>=? j end2)
+              (not (eq? (string-ref prefix i) (string-ref str j))))
+          j
+          (lp (string-cursor-next prefix i) (string-cursor-next str j))))))
+
+(define (string-mismatch-right suffix str)
+  (let ((end1 (string-cursor-start suffix))
+        (end2 (string-cursor-start str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-prev suffix (string-cursor-end suffix)))
+             (j (string-cursor-prev str (string-cursor-end str))))
+      (if (or (string-cursor<? i end1)
+              (string-cursor<? j end2)
+              (not (eq? (string-ref suffix i) (string-ref str j))))
+          j
+          (lp (string-cursor-prev suffix i) (string-cursor-prev str j))))))
+
+;; TODO: These definitions are specific to the Chibi implementation of
+;; cursors.  Possibly the mismatch API should be modified to allow an
+;; efficient portable definition.
+(define (string-prefix? prefix str)
+  (= (string-cursor-end prefix) (string-mismatch prefix str)))
+
+(define (string-suffix? suffix str)
+  (= (string-cursor-prev suffix (string-cursor-start suffix))
+     (- (string-mismatch-right suffix str)
+        (- (string-cursor-end str) (string-cursor-end suffix)))))
+
+(define (string-fold kons knil str)
+  (let ((end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start str)) (acc knil))
+      (if (string-cursor>=? i end)
+          acc
+          (lp (string-cursor-next str i)
+              (kons (string-cursor-ref str i) acc))))))
+
+(define (string-fold-right kons knil str)
+  (let ((end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start str)))
+      (if (string-cursor>=? i end)
+          knil
+          (kons (string-cursor-ref str i) (lp (string-cursor-next str i)))))))
+
+(define (string-count str x)
+  (let ((pred (make-char-predicate x)))
+    (string-fold (lambda (ch count) (if (pred ch) (+ count 1) count)) 0 str)))
+
+(define (string-for-each proc str)
+  (let ((end (string-cursor-end str)))
+    (let lp ((i (string-cursor-start str)))
+      (cond ((string-cursor<? i end)
+             (proc (string-cursor-ref str i))
+             (lp (string-cursor-next str i)))))))
+
+(define (string-map proc str)
+  (call-with-output-string
+    (lambda (out)
+      (string-for-each (lambda (ch) (write-char (proc ch) out)) str))))
+
+(define (make-string-searcher needle)
+  (lambda (haystack) (string-contains haystack needle)))
diff --git a/lib/chibi/strings.sld b/lib/chibi/strings.sld
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..86ea900e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/chibi/strings.sld
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+
+(define-library (chibi strings)
+  (export
+   string-cursor-start string-cursor-end string-cursor-ref
+   string-cursor<? string-cursor<=? string-cursor>? string-cursor>=?
+   string-cursor=? string-null? string-every string-any
+   string-join string-split string-count
+   string-trim string-trim-left string-trim-right
+   string-mismatch string-mismatch-right
+   string-prefix? string-suffix?
+   string-index string-index-right string-skip string-skip-right
+   string-fold string-fold-right string-map string-for-each
+   string-contains make-string-searcher)
+  (import (scheme) (chibi ast))
+  (include "strings.scm"))
diff --git a/lib/scheme/base.sld b/lib/scheme/base.sld
index d751cd71..d1128bc6 100644
--- a/lib/scheme/base.sld
+++ b/lib/scheme/base.sld
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 (define-library (scheme base)
   (import (except (scheme) equal?)
           (rename (chibi equiv) (equiv? equal?))
+          (only (chibi strings) string-map string-for-each)
           (chibi io)
           (rename (only (chibi ast)
                         exception? exception-message exception-irritants)
diff --git a/lib/scheme/extras.scm b/lib/scheme/extras.scm
index d366b0ca..aebe40b4 100644
--- a/lib/scheme/extras.scm
+++ b/lib/scheme/extras.scm
@@ -104,16 +104,6 @@
 (define (string->vector vec)
   (list->vector (string->list vec)))
 
-(define (string-map proc . los)
-  (list->string (apply map proc (map string->list los))))
-
-(define (string-for-each proc str . los)
-  (if (null? los)
-      (let ((len (string-length str)))
-        (let lp ((i 0))
-          (if (< i len) (begin (proc (string-ref str i)) (lp (+ i 1))))))
-      (apply string-map (lambda (ch) (proc ch) ch) str los)))
-
 (define (bytevector-copy bv)
   (let ((res (make-bytevector (bytevector-length bv))))
     (bytevector-copy! bv res)