A Chicagoan's quest to visit every public library branch

The big picture: Cochran's quest started as a new way to explore Chicago's many neighborhoods — how each branch represents the area, the interactions between patrons and staff, and as a place to meet new people.

By the numbers: Since last November, he's visited 56 locations.

His favorites: Each has its own virtues, so the host, writer and educator broke it down by category.

• Art: Legler (Garfield Park), Woodson (Washington Heights) and Little Village
• Photography: Altgeld (Altgeld Gardens)
• Nature: Sulzer's Koi pond (Lincoln Square)
• Architecture: Blackstone (Kenwood) and Independence (Old Irving): "Blackstone (1904) is the oldest branch and looks like a granite and marble Greek tower fit for a museum campus. The dome of the rotunda is one of a kind," he says.

What's next: Cochran still needs to explore branches in West Lawn, Scottsdale and Clearing on the far South Side and Jefferson Park, Dunning and Edgebrook on the Northwest Side.

• Plus, the Obama Presidential Center branch, the city's newest public library, is still on his list. "I am going to save that branch for last!"