diff --git a/kklib/include/kklib/ref.h b/kklib/include/kklib/ref.h
index 7038009d9..5ff8ce417 100644
--- a/kklib/include/kklib/ref.h
+++ b/kklib/include/kklib/ref.h
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static inline kk_unit_t kk_ref_set_borrow(kk_ref_t r, kk_box_t value, kk_context
 }
 
 // In Koka we can constrain the argument of f to be a local-scope reference.
-static inline kk_box_t kk_ref_modify(kk_ref_t r, kk_function_t f, kk_context_t* ctx) {
+static inline kk_box_t kk_ref_access(kk_ref_t r, kk_function_t f, kk_context_t* ctx) {
   return kk_function_call(kk_box_t,(kk_function_t,kk_ref_t,kk_context_t*),f,(f,r,ctx),ctx);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/std/core/types.kk b/lib/std/core/types.kk
index e99324646..a2f08aa61 100644
--- a/lib/std/core/types.kk
+++ b/lib/std/core/types.kk
@@ -351,15 +351,23 @@ pub inline extern ref/(!)<h,a,e>( ref : ref<h,a>, ?hdiv : hdiv<h,a,e>) : <read<h
   cs inline "#1.Value"
   js inline "#1.value"
 
-// Modify the value of a reference.
-// This is especially useful when the reference contains a vector, because
+// Access the value of a reference, by evaluating a function with the reference as a local-var.
+// Assigning to this var within the block using `:=` will modify the underlying reference.
+//
+// e.g. `counter.access(fn(i) { i := i + 1 })`
+//
+// This function is especially useful when the reference contains a vector, because
 // getting the vector into a local variable and then setting it back into the reference later
 // would mean that we hold on to a copy (and we can't update the vector in place then!).
 // In contrast, this function passes the ownership to the given function.
-pub inline extern modify<h,a,b,e>( ref : ref<h,a>, f : forall<s> local-var<s,a> -> <local<s>|e> b, ?hdiv : hdiv<h,a,e>) : <read<h>,write<h>|e> b
-  c  inline "kk_ref_modify(#1,#2,kk_context())"
+pub inline extern access<h,a,b,e>( ref : ref<h,a>, f : forall<s> local-var<s,a> -> <local<s>|e> b, ?hdiv : hdiv<h,a,e>) : <read<h>,write<h>|e> b
+  c inline "kk_ref_access(#1,#2,kk_context())"
   js inline "((#2)(#1))"
 
+// Deprecated: alias for `access`
+pub inline extern modify<h,a,b,e>( ref : ref<h,a>, f : forall<s> local-var<s,a> -> <local<s>|e> b, ?hdiv : hdiv<h,a,e>) : <read<h>,write<h>|e> b
+  c  "kk_ref_access"
+
 // If a heap effect is unobservable, the heap effect can be erased by using the `run` fun.
 // See also: _State in Haskell, by Simon Peyton Jones and John Launchbury_.
 pub extern run<e,a>( action : forall<h> () -> <alloc<h>,read<h>,write<h> | e> a ) : e a
diff --git a/test/lib/ref-modify.kk b/test/lib/ref-access.kk
similarity index 60%
rename from test/lib/ref-modify.kk
rename to test/lib/ref-access.kk
index b6a5adaca..a2b332d88 100644
--- a/test/lib/ref-modify.kk
+++ b/test/lib/ref-access.kk
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 fun main() {
   val r = ref(0)
-  r.modify( fn(l) l := 1 )
+  r.access( fn(l) l := 1 )
   (!r).println
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/test/lib/ref-modify.kk.out b/test/lib/ref-access.kk.out
similarity index 100%
rename from test/lib/ref-modify.kk.out
rename to test/lib/ref-access.kk.out