New York Public Library. Board of Trustees. Clerk.

The Clerk of the New York Public Library was delegated by the Board of Trustees in its early years to carry out various official and legal duties. During the period of these records, the position was held by Alanson T. Briggs, who became the Agent for Carnegie Sites.

The Clerk of the New York Public Library was delegated by the Board of Trustees in its early years to carry out various official and legal duties. During the period of these records, the position was held by Alanson T. Briggs, who became the Agent for Carnegie Sites.

Born in 1871 in Roselle, New Jersey, Alanson T. Briggs was the eldest son of Reverend Dr. Charles A. Briggs, theologian and professor of Hebrew at Union Theological Seminary. In 1892 Alanson graduated from Columbia College and. After graduating from Columbia Law School, he joined the firm of Olin, Rives and Montgomery. Through his connection with this firm and as private secretary to George L. Rives, one of the original trustees of the NYPL, Briggs became Clerk of The Library's Board of Trustees. Briggs was appointed Agent for Carnegie Sites after the City, in response to Andrew Carnegie's offer of $5,200,000, agreed in 1901 to work with the NYPL in establishing branch libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. As agent, Briggs acted as liaison between the City and The Library, in particular the Executive Committee (mainly Rives and Cadwalader) and the Circulation Committee (mainly Billings, Bostwick and later Anderson).

Briggs' main duties as Agent were to assist the Board in selecting sites for branches; to examine and, in conjunction with the Board of Appraisers appointed by the City, to appraise each site approved by the Board; to negotiate the purchase of sites; to report to both the City (the Comptroller and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment) and the Library on the progress of negotiations and construction; and to act as counsel for the Library in any issue connected with the Carnegie program. Briggs worked as Agent for some nine years, until the end of 1910, when the Board relieved him of his position. During this period he also served as Carnegie Agent for the Brooklyn Public Library (appointed February 9, 1903) and for the Queens Public Library (appointed early 1903). Briggs' work as Carnegie Agent in New York City attracted the attention of a group in Oregon, who approached him for help in presenting to Carnegie their request, ultimately successful, for a library for Salem, Oregon.

After leaving NYPL Briggs served as Secretary of the Court House Board and practiced law independently. Around 1931 he moved to California, where he died, in Hollywood, on January 31, 1946.