Following the county commissioners' example, the Durham County Library is keeping all its branches closed on Saturday due to the weather forecast. Check the library website for updates or call 560-0169.

Sculptor Thomas Sayre and Durham Public Library Director Skip Auld unveiled this morning a model of the piece of art commissioned for the new branch library at Lowe's Grove.

The yet-unnamed sculpture is an 17-foot tall stack of earth-cast concrete slabs.

With Durham's city council considering a change in how it gets elected, the League of Women Voters of Orange, Durham, and Chatham Counties holds a forum on  election methods at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the main Durham County Library.

The public is invited.

The City Council holds a public hearing April 6 on changing from a primary-general election system to a single plurality election.

The Durham County Board of Elections estimates that, by eliminating the primary, Durham taxpayers would save between $170,000 and $180,000 each municipal election year.

The change would not affect elections for county and school-board positions.

Participants in the League forum include:

• Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science
• Robert P. Joyce, UNC Professor of Public Law and Government
• Torrey Dixon of FairVoteNC
• Bob Hall, Executive Director of Democracy NC

Citizens who wish to speak at the April 6 hearing may call the City Clerk at 560-4166 to have their names put on the list. The clerk's office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The new Durham County library branch at Lowe's Grove is getting $100,000 for exterior artwork "celebrating children, books and learning."

The Herndon Foundation of Durham is paying for the project with a grant to the Durham County Library Foundation. County commissioners accepted the first $50,000 at its Monday-night meeting, the remainder to come during fiscal 2010.

According to library director Skip Auld, a committee has been formed to pick an artist and approve an initial concept.

The county broke ground for the new library in November. It will occupy a portion of the former Lowe's Grove School campus at Alston Avenue and N.C. 55.

Campbell Harvey, a Duke University professor of international business, speaks and answers question about the economic situation at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 14) at the Southwest branch library in Durham.

According to Marian Fragola of the Durham Public Library, Harvey is going to explain how the international economy got into its present calamity and what that means for the United States.

His appearance is free to the public. The Southwest library is at 3605 Shannon Road.