You now have to walk through a metal detector while security searches your bags - all to check out a book at the Broome County Public Library or conduct other business there.

The library has been the new, temporary home for some of the 26 Broome County departments that moved from the county office building on Hawley Street in Binghamton to about a dozen different area locations two weeks ago.

With the relocation comes the county's security screening process, which aims to protect employees and visitors against threats, said James Dadamio, the county's security director.

"We have critical and sensitive documentation," he said. Certain departments also conduct numerous financial transactions daily, including some involving cash. Continue reading