diff --git a/collects/data/bit-vector.rkt b/collects/data/bit-vector.rkt
index a0cd7c8226..3c4a69b14a 100644
--- a/collects/data/bit-vector.rkt
+++ b/collects/data/bit-vector.rkt
@@ -27,24 +27,27 @@
     (fxvector-set! words q (- (expt 2 r) 1)))
   (bit-vector words size word-size))
 
-(define (bit-vector* . init-bits)
-  (define bv (make-bit-vector (length init-bits)))
-  (for ([i (in-naturals)]
-        [b (in-list init-bits)])
-    (bit-vector-set! bv i b))
-  bv)
+(define bit-vector*
+  (let ([bit-vector
+         (lambda init-bits
+           (list->bit-vector init-bits))])
+    bit-vector))
 
-(define (bit-vector-ref bv n 
-                        [default (bad-index-error 'bit-vector-ref n)])
+(define not-given (gensym))
+
+(define (bit-vector-ref bv n [default not-given])
   (unless (exact-nonnegative-integer? n)
-    (raise-type-error 'bit-vector-ref "exact nonnegative integer" n))
-  (cond
-    [(>= n (bit-vector-size bv))
-     (if (procedure? default)
-         (default)
-         default)]
-    [else
-     (unsafe-bit-vector-ref bv n)]))
+    (raise-argument-error 'bit-vector-ref "exact-nonnegative-integer?" n))
+  (cond [(< n (bit-vector-size bv))
+         (unsafe-bit-vector-ref bv n)]
+        [else
+         (cond [(eq? default not-given)
+                (raise-range-error 'bit-vector-ref
+                                   "bit-vector"
+                                   "" n bv 0 (sub1 (bit-vector-size bv)))]
+               [(procedure? default)
+                (default)]
+               [else default])]))
 
 (define (unsafe-bit-vector-ref bv n)
   (define-values (wi bi) (quotient/remainder n bits-in-a-word))
@@ -97,6 +100,37 @@
   (for/sum ([fx (in-fxvector (bit-vector-words bv))])
     (fxpopcount fx)))
 
+(define (bit-vector->list bv)
+  (define len (bit-vector-size bv))
+  (let loop ([i 0])
+    (cond [(< i len)
+           (cons (unsafe-bit-vector-ref bv i)
+                 (loop (add1 i)))]
+          [else null])))
+
+(define (list->bit-vector init-bits)
+  (define len (length init-bits))
+  (define bv (make-bit-vector len))
+  (for ([i (in-range len)]
+        [b (in-list init-bits)])
+    (bit-vector-set! bv i b))
+  bv)
+
+(define (bit-vector->string bv)
+  (let* ([l (bit-vector-size bv)]
+         [s (make-string l)])
+    (for ([i (in-range l)])
+      (string-set! s i (if (unsafe-bit-vector-ref bv i) #\1 #\0)))
+    s))
+
+(define (string->bit-vector s)
+  (let* ([bv (make-bit-vector (string-length s) #f)])
+    (for ([i (in-range (string-length s))])
+      (when (eqv? (string-ref s i) #\1)
+        (bit-vector-set! bv i #t)))
+    bv))
+
+
 (define-vector-wraps "bit-vector"
   bit-vector? bit-vector-length bit-vector-ref bit-vector-set! make-bit-vector
   unsafe-bit-vector-ref bit-vector-set! bit-vector-length
@@ -171,6 +205,14 @@
   (-> bit-vector? any)]
  (rename bit-vector-copy*
          bit-vector-copy
-         (-> bit-vector? bit-vector?)))
+         (-> bit-vector? bit-vector?))
+ [bit-vector->list
+  (-> bit-vector? (listof boolean?))]
+ [list->bit-vector
+  (-> (listof boolean?) bit-vector?)]
+ [bit-vector->string
+  (-> bit-vector? string?)]
+ [string->bit-vector
+  (-> (and/c string? #rx"^[01]*$") bit-vector?)])
 
 (provide in-bit-vector for/bit-vector for*/bit-vector)
diff --git a/collects/data/scribblings/bit-vector.scrbl b/collects/data/scribblings/bit-vector.scrbl
index 7cc0efffe8..32bf6919ef 100644
--- a/collects/data/scribblings/bit-vector.scrbl
+++ b/collects/data/scribblings/bit-vector.scrbl
@@ -32,17 +32,19 @@ Creates a new bit-vector of size @racket[size]. All elements
 are initialized to @racket[fill].
 
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
-(define bv (make-bit-vector 3))
-(bit-vector-ref bv 1)]
+(bit-vector-ref (make-bit-vector 3) 2)
+(bit-vector-ref (make-bit-vector 3 #t) 2)
+]
 }
 
 @defproc[(bit-vector [elem boolean?] ...)
          bit-vector?]{
 
 Creates a new bit-vector containing each @racket[elem] in order.
+
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
-(define bv (bit-vector #f #t #f))
-(bit-vector-ref bv 1)]
+(bit-vector-ref (bit-vector #f #t #f) 1)
+]
 }
 
 @defproc[(bit-vector? [v any/c]) boolean?]{
@@ -56,8 +58,13 @@ Returns @racket[#t] if @racket[v] is a bit-vector, @racket[#f] otherwise.
          any/c]{
 
 Returns the element at index @racket[index], if @racket[index] is less
-than @racket[(bit-vector-length gv)]. Otherwise, @racket[default] is
+than @racket[(bit-vector-length bv)]. Otherwise, @racket[default] is
 invoked if it is a procedure, returned otherwise.
+
+@examples[#:eval the-eval
+(bit-vector-ref (bit-vector #f #t) 1)
+(bit-vector-ref (bit-vector #f #t) 5 'not-there)
+]
 }
 
 @defproc[(bit-vector-set! 
@@ -68,9 +75,13 @@ invoked if it is a procedure, returned otherwise.
          void?]{
 
 Sets the value at index @racket[index] to be @racket[value]. 
+
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
-(define bv (bit-vector #f #t #f))
-(bit-vector-ref bv 1)]
+(define bv (bit-vector #f #t))
+(bit-vector-ref bv 0)
+(bit-vector-set! bv 0 #t)
+(bit-vector-ref bv 0)
+]
 }
 
 @defproc[(bit-vector-length [bv bit-vector?])
@@ -83,6 +94,7 @@ Returns the number of items in the bit-vector @racket[bv].
          exact-nonnegative-integer?]{
 
 Returns the number of set bits in the bit-vector @racket[bv].
+
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
 (bit-vector-popcount (bit-vector #f #t #t))]
 }
@@ -103,10 +115,9 @@ to @racket[end] (exclusive).
 Returns a sequence whose elements are the elements of the bit-vector
 @racket[bv]. Mutation of @racket[bv] while the sequence is running
 changes the elements produced by the sequence. To obtain a sequence
-from a snapshot of @racket[gv], use @racket[(in-vector
+from a snapshot of @racket[bv], use @racket[(in-bit-vector
 (bit-vector-copy bv))] instead.
 
-                      
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
 (define bv (bit-vector #f #t #f))
 (for/list ([x (in-bit-vector bv)]) x)]
@@ -133,11 +144,13 @@ the value of @racket[fill-expr], which defaults to @racket[#f] (i.e.,
 the default argument of @racket[make-bit-vector]).
 
 @examples[#:eval the-eval
-(define (to-list bv) (for/list ([x bv]) x))                 
-(to-list (for/bit-vector ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
-(to-list (for/bit-vector #:length 2 ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
-(to-list (for/bit-vector #:length 4 ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
-(to-list 
+(bit-vector->list
+ (for/bit-vector ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
+(bit-vector->list
+ (for/bit-vector #:length 2 ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
+(bit-vector->list
+ (for/bit-vector #:length 4 ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
+(bit-vector->list
  (for/bit-vector #:length 4 #:fill #t ([i '(1 2 3)]) (odd? i)))
 ]
 
@@ -152,4 +165,20 @@ mutate a shared bit-vector.}
 Like @racket[for/bit-vector] but with the implicit nesting of @racket[for*].
 }
 
+@deftogether[[
+@defproc[(bit-vector->list [bv bit-vector?]) (listof boolean?)]
+@defproc[(list->bit-vector [bits (listof boolean?)]) bit-vector?]
+@defproc[(bit-vector->string [bv bit-vector?]) (and/c string? #rx"^[01]*$")]
+@defproc[(string->bit-vector [s (and/c string? #rx"^[01]*$")]) bit-vector?]
+]]{
+
+Converts between bit-vectors and their representations as lists and
+strings.
+
+@examples[#:eval the-eval
+(bit-vector->list (string->bit-vector "100111"))
+(bit-vector->string (list->bit-vector '(#t #f #t #t)))
+]
+}
+
 @close-eval[the-eval]
diff --git a/collects/tests/data/bit-vector.rkt b/collects/tests/data/bit-vector.rkt
index cd70a85a8c..021f59c79c 100644
--- a/collects/tests/data/bit-vector.rkt
+++ b/collects/tests/data/bit-vector.rkt
@@ -114,3 +114,13 @@
              (for ([ws (in-list '(8 30 62))])
                (for ([i (in-range 10)])
                  (test (* ws 10))))))
+
+(test-case "bit-vector string->list"
+  (let ([bitstrings '("0" "1" "10" "11" "1010110011100011110000")])
+    (for ([s (in-list bitstrings)])
+      (check-equal? (bit-vector->string (string->bit-vector s)) s)
+      (let ([bitlist (for/list ([c (in-string s)]) (eqv? c #\1))])
+        (check-equal? (bit-vector->list (string->bit-vector s))
+                      bitlist)
+        (check-equal? (string->bit-vector s)
+                      (list->bit-vector bitlist))))))