Reference: dictionaries, encyclopedias etc

Art market information for Australian and New Zealand including past, current and forthcoming auctions, market statistics and news.

• Use Australian Art Sales Digest now
• Find out about Australian Art Sales Digest

Biographical reference collections and magazines, a comprehensive collection of full-text biographies, and thousands of unique narrative biographies.

• Use Biography Reference Source now
• Find out about Biography Reference Source

Biographical information about more than one million of the most searched and studied people. Search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as by keyword and full text. Coverage ranges from Kylie Minogue and George Clooney, to Socrates and Boudicca.

• Use  Biography: Gale In Context now
• Find out about Gale In Context

Online and interactive version of Encyclopædia Britannica. All branches of knowledge are covered in this resource aimed at older students and adults. There is also a Teens and Kids version available.

• Use Britannica Library Adults now
• Find out about Britannica Library

We're sorry, access to Cambridge Companions Online finished on 1 July 2025

If you are looking for online resources about writers, artists, philosophers and more, explore our other eBook collections and  Biography eResources.

Carters Price Guide to Antiques is a great resource for people curious about collectables and their history. The database is simple to use, with the option to browse through the categories or search for specific pieces. The entries include sale prices from auctions in Australia and New Zealand to assist members value their pieces.

• Use Carter Price Guide to Antiques
• Find out about Carter's Price Guide to Antiques

CINCH, Community INformation CHristchurch contains information for around 6,000 organisations, course providers and individuals.

An index of abstracts and descriptions of articles in New Zealand publications from the 1950's in English, and from September 2007 in te reo Māori.

INNZ is no longer being updated. Indexing ceased on 21 June 2024.

• Use Index New Zealand (INNZ) now
• Find out about  Index New Zealand (INNZ)

Abstracts and indexed articles for library and information professionals.

• Use Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) now 
• Find out about Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA)

Information about thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes for all literary research needs.

• Use Literary Reference Plus now
• Find out about Literary Reference Plus

We no longer subscribe to the Knowledge Basket version, you can now access this via the University of Auckland website.

The MLCMBI is an index to the volumes of Māori Land Court Minute Books produced by The Māori Land Court — Te Kooti Whenua Māori. The Māori Land Court Minute Books contain judges' notes on court sittings from 1865 to 1910 from the Taitokerau, Waikato-Maniapoto, Tairawhiti, Waiariki, Aotea, Takitimu, and Waipounamu Māori Land Court Districts.

Physical copies of the South Island and Chatham Island minutes are held in the Ngā Pounamu Māori Centre. The entire collection is available at the Macmillan Brown Library.

• Use MLCMBI Maori Land Court Minute Books Index now

The New Zealand Sign Language Collection has reference material alongside  accounts of Deaf experience. Using rich multimedia and visuals which could not be delivered to libraries in traditional means. Includes access to Rachel McKee's New Zealand Sign Language: A Reference Grammar.

• Use The New Zealand Sign Language Collection now
• Find out about the BWB Online Collections

We're sorry, access to Oxford English Dictionary Online finished 1 July 2025. 

We still have plenty of dictionaries in our collection and there are free dictionaries online, including Oxford's online Dictionary OED.com

An index to selected articles, obituaries and reviews published in The Press, Christchurch Mail, Christchurch Star, Star Midweek and Star Weekender.

• Use Papers Index now
• Find out about Papers Index

Classic and contemporary poems, as well as short stories, biographies and authoritative essays on such topics as poetic forms, movements and techniques. 

• Use Poetry and Short Story Reference Center now
• Find out about Poetry and Short Story Reference Center

Te Kerēme is a selective index to the Ngāi Tahu claim.

• Use Te Kerēme now
• Find out about Te Kerēme

Te Puna is a web-based search service giving access to what is held in New Zealand libraries and worldwide.

• Use Te Puna now
• Find out about Te Puna

Powerful reference tool for advanced research in all subject areas, contains detailed content written for secondary level students. Includes integrated research of articles, media, primary resources, eBooks, dictionary, atlas and more.

• Use World Book Advanced now
• Find out about World Book Online