As the 2025 Innovator in Residence at the Library of Congress, Vivian Li is transforming how Americans connect with their local histories.
Through her project, “Anywhere Adventures,” Li’s mission is to make stories from the Library’s digital collections accessible, engaging, and relevant for communities across the United States.
Discovering America’s Digital Treasures
The Library of Congress is more than just a collection of old books and artifacts—it’s a treasure trove of America’s stories. In 2025, the Library’s Innovator in Residence, Vivian Li, is taking these stories into the digital realm.
Her project, “Anywhere Adventures,” combines her skills as an illustrator and web developer to create an interactive platform that lets users explore unique historical narratives from selected U.S. cities.
Li’s approach taps into the growing demand for engaging, web-based learning experiences. She will work closely with Library staff to select captivating items from the digital archives that reflect the rich and diverse histories of American communities.
By incorporating visual storytelling, guided tours, and personalized activities, she aims to provide users with an immersive experience that feels both educational and personal.
What Is “Anywhere Adventures”?
Vivian Li’s project centers around creating an interactive website experience where users can explore historical narratives from three American cities.
The cities, nominated by citizens early in 2025, will each feature a self-guided adventure that highlights notable moments, personalities, and local legends from the Library’s vast digital collections.
Here’s what users can expect:
- Self-Guided Tours: Each city will offer a digital journey through its history, from Prohibition-era scandals to lesser-known landmarks.
- Personalized Zines: Participants can create a scrapbook-like “zine” based on their exploration, which they can share digitally with friends or print as a keepsake.
These elements encourage users to delve deeper into the history of their hometowns, offering them a way to connect with the past while appreciating the Library’s resources.
Vivian Li’s Path to Innovation
Vivian Li is no stranger to innovative storytelling. An Illinois native, Li has built a reputation for weaving digital art and technology into captivating narratives. Her work as a Seattle artist-in-residence in 2023 demonstrated her ability to engage audiences through historical content.
She captured the imagination of her followers by transforming stories about Seattle’s Fremont Bridge into digital visualizations and social media series.
This success opened the door to her role as Innovator in Residence at the Library of Congress.
Li’s passion for blending art with technology, coupled with her expertise in web development, makes her uniquely equipped to turn the Library’s digital collections into a vibrant, interactive experience that speaks to a modern audience.
The Library of Congress’s Digital Mission
The Innovator in Residence program is part of LC Labs, the Library’s Digital Innovation Division, designed to explore new ways of engaging the public with the Library’s vast archives.
By supporting projects like “Anywhere Adventures,” LC Labs shows its commitment to making history relevant and accessible to people today.
The program aims to foster creativity and innovation, encouraging the public to interact with the Library’s collections in fresh, interactive ways.
Library of Congress Innovators |
Project Focus |
|---|---|
| Jer Thorp | Data visualizations |
| Brian Foo | Audio remixing with Citizen DJ |
| Courtney McClellan | Speculative Annotation |
| Jeffrey Yoo Warren | Community history visualization |
This table shows past Innovators and their contributions, highlighting how each project broadens the Library’s reach and appeal.
Bringing Local Histories to Your Screen
For Li, it’s about making the Library’s collections feel close to home, even if you live thousands of miles from Washington, D.C. Her own discovery of Macomb’s history through the Library’s digital collections revealed stories she never knew about her hometown.
Whether it was a baseball scandal involving bootleggers or old newspaper clippings from the Prohibition era, these stories sparked a personal connection. Now, she hopes to inspire others to find that same excitement in their local histories.
Li believes that when people see their own communities reflected in the nation’s larger narrative, they feel a deeper sense of connection. “Anywhere Adventures” aims to create that bridge, turning distant archives into personal discoveries for users across the country.
Engaging with the Past in a Modern World
“Anywhere Adventures” exemplifies the Library of Congress’s commitment to making American history accessible and engaging. By leveraging digital storytelling, Vivian Li’s project offers a sophisticated yet user-friendly platform for audiences to connect with their roots in new and innovative ways.
Whether you’re a history buff, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about your city’s past, “Anywhere Adventures” invites you to explore the Library’s digital treasures—right from your screen.
This project stands as a beacon for the future of digital heritage, proving that history is not just something to be studied; it’s something to be experienced.
Sources: THX News & Library of Congress.
