diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/vl_data.rs b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/vl_data.rs
index f37638b..378ada4 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/vl_data.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/vl_data.rs
@@ -305,6 +305,24 @@ impl<'a, S: crate::storage::Storage + ?Sized> VlResolver<'a, S> {
         Ok(Some(data))
     }
 
+    /// [`VlResolver::element`] over any storage: the element's bytes
+    /// (borrowed from the resolver's cache of heap collections, so they
+    /// live until the next call), or `None` for a null element.
+    pub fn element_in(
+        &mut self,
+        elem: &[u8],
+        base_size: usize,
+    ) -> Result<Option<&[u8]>, FormatError> {
+        let vl = parse_vl_references(elem, 1, self.offset_size)?;
+        self.resolve(&vl[0], base_size)
+    }
+
+    /// [`VlResolver::string_element`] over any storage (see
+    /// [`element_in`](Self::element_in)).
+    pub fn string_element_in(&mut self, elem: &[u8]) -> Result<Option<&[u8]>, FormatError> {
+        Ok(self.element_in(elem, 1)?.map(cut_at_nul))
+    }
+
     /// The strings of the variable-length string elements in `raw`, as
     /// bytes. A string ends at its first NUL, as libhdf5 returns it (it
     /// converts each to a C string); a null element is empty.
@@ -645,6 +663,32 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn element_in_over_a_storage_matches_element_over_a_slice() {
+        let mut file_data = vec![0u8; 512];
+        build_gcol_at(&mut file_data, 256, &[(1, b"Alice\0x"), (2, b"Bob")]);
+        let mut raw = build_vl_refs(&["Alice\0x", "Bob"], 256, 1, 8);
+        raw.extend(element(0, 0, 0, 8)); // null
+        raw.extend(element(9, 256, 1, 8)); // wrong length: an error
+        let storage = crate::storage::CountingStorage::new(file_data.clone());
+        let dynamic: &dyn crate::storage::Storage = &storage;
+        let mut slice = VlResolver::new(&file_data, 8, 8);
+        let mut any = VlResolver::new_in(dynamic, 8, 8);
+        for e in raw.chunks(16) {
+            let want = slice.element(e, 1).map(|o| o.map(<[u8]>::to_vec));
+            let got = any.element_in(e, 1).map(|o| o.map(<[u8]>::to_vec));
+            assert_eq!(format!("{want:?}"), format!("{got:?}"));
+            let want = slice.string_element(e).map(|o| o.map(<[u8]>::to_vec));
+            let got = any.string_element_in(e).map(|o| o.map(<[u8]>::to_vec));
+            assert_eq!(format!("{want:?}"), format!("{got:?}"));
+        }
+        assert_eq!(
+            any.string_element_in(&raw[..16]).unwrap(),
+            Some(&b"Alice"[..])
+        );
+        assert!(storage.reads() > 0);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn null_vl_element_zero_address() {
         let mut raw = Vec::new();