Broome County Courts

Law Library

Broome County Courthouse
92 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901-3301
Phone: 607-240-5786

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
(except State & Federal Holidays)

Principal Law Librarian
Christopher Lund
clund@nycourts.gov

Broome county Courthouse

All visitors must pass through a magnetometer upon entering the courthouse.

Overview

Officially established April 11, 1859 by L.1859, Ch. 230, the library has been open to the public since its inception. Located on the first floor of the historic Broome County Courthouse, it houses thousands of titles in tens of thousands of volumes including print and non-print formats.

In addition to its Federal and New York State primary materials and a well-rounded collection of general practice treatises, the library maintains a small general Pennsylvania collection due to its proximity to the bordering state.

The staff provide service to the entire Sixth District judicial and non-judicial personnel as well as court system law libraries across the State.

Public Access Computer Policy

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Directions

The library is located on the first floor of the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, NY. From all directions, take Exit 4S from Interstate 81. Go through the traffic light at the end of the exit and proceed straight ahead to the Susquehanna Street Exit (third exit after the light). Once on Susquehanna Street, turn right at the second light (Exchange Street), left at the next light onto Hawley Street, and then right onto Collier Street.

The Allright Parking lot is visible at the corner of Collier, Hawley, and State Streets; the entrance is on Collier. Metered parking may be found on Collier, Court, and Exchange Streets. Further parking can be found at the State Street parking ramp by continuing straight on Hawley Street past collier street to the first light (State Street). Take a right at the light, drive straight for two blocks and the ramp will be on your right, or Continue straight on Hawley Street past Collier Street for about 3 blocks. Boscov’s will be on your left with the Boscov’s ramp just after the store. Please note that even though we do not stamp ramp tickets, if you park in the Boscov's ramp you can get your ticket stamped inside Boscov's for 3 free hours. The court house is at 92 Court Street and can be found across the street from the Collier Street parking lot.

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Catalog

Our catalog, as well as those of the other court law libraries in New York State, is available online via the NYS Trial Court Libraries Catalog.

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Circulation

Admitted attorneys and court personnel who have registered at any of the New York State Court Law Libraries may borrow circulating materials from the Supreme Court Library at Binghamton subject to the circulation rules of this library. As of May 23, 2011, borrowing of library materials by the general public is no longer permitted.

Borrower registration forms may be obtained from the staff at any NYS Law Library. At least one form of identification (including but not limited to a valid NYS driver's license, Attorney Registration number, or student identification number) AND proof of current address must be presented in person. Proper identification must be presented in order to borrow any materials.

Most circulating items, unless otherwise specified, may be borrowed for a single two-week period (14 days) with two seven-day renewals.

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Interlibrary Loan

The law library will attempt to obtain books and other library materials through interlibrary loan from other court libraries within the Unified Court System of New York. Although the library staff will strive to obtain materials at no cost to the patron, any charges for the loan of materials are determined by the lending library and are passed on to the patron initiating the loan request. The patron will be notified as to any charges prior to finalization of the loan.

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Reference

The Law Library staff can provide directional, bibliographic, and reference assistance. The law library staff may not select forms; explain civil or criminal procedures; interpret statutes, cases, or court rules; or assist in the preparation of documents to either bring or defend an action. The staff of the library is prohibited from rendering any advice, opinion, or interpretation of the law. Some library materials are available in microform. The library has one microform reader in the back room of the library.

There are three public access workstations located in the back right corner of the library for accessing online legal resources. The library staff will provide instructional materials and/or basic instruction in using these materials but may not conduct research for the user. The library also has a wireless access point so patrons may use their own devices.

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Photocopies

A vendor-owned copy machine is located in the library. This machine accepts cash only in the form of one dollar bills or change in 5, 10 and 25 cent denominations. Copies are 15¢ each.

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