Treasures from the Reference Collection

Introduction

Welcome to the page that showcases some of the many old and new books in our Reference collections.

We aim to show a little of the content of books that you may not be aware we own, or the items may look uninteresting on the outside but inside are full of maps, illustrations, photographs and so much more.

Dip into some of the interesting, beautiful and enlightening books held in Waitakere Central Library Reference Department on level 2 of Waitakere Central Library.

Many of the titles are also held in our branch reference collections.

The Journal of the Polynesian Society

Title page from The Journal of the Polynesian Society

Illustration page from The Journal of the Polynesian Society

The Journal of the Polynesian Society (JPS) is a quarterly publication of essays and research on New Zealand Maori and other Pacific Island peoples and cultures, past and present.

The Polynesian society was founded in 1892, the first 100 years of the journal are available online in full text .

Waitakere Libraries has copies of the Journal from the 1920's to the present day, which may be viewed in the Reference Room, Level 2, Waitakere Central Library.

The Journal is an invaluable resource for students and researchers needing in-depth scholarly essays and articles on the social and cultural anthropology and archaeology of the peoples of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.

The Journal is a primary source of material on Maori culture and history. Many of the writers for the journal were concerned about the preservation of indigenous knowledge. One of the best known was ethnographer Elsdon Best, also one of the Journals editors. The JPS has also published a large number of myths, legends, tribal histories and analysis of them in Maori and English over the years. Contributors included Maori scholars from various iwi.

You can read or refer to this journal in the Reference section at the Waitakere Central Library.

Etymology - the history of words

Etymology is the study of the origins of evolution of words

Ever wondered - where does that word or phrase come from? Have a look at an etymology dictionary.

Etymology is the study of the origins and evolution of words.

• Interesting etymology facts
• Books
• eResources
• Websites

Interesting etymology facts

Did you know that the word nice originally meant foolish or ignorant and has changed meanings a number of times? It has meant indulgent, careful and fussy.

The words alcohol, algebra, cotton, hazard, and magazine have their origins in Arabic.

The word taboo originates from the Tongan word tabu.

Electricity comes from the Greek word for amber. The Greeks noticed the resin amber attracted light objects when it was rubbed.

Books

Here are just some of the etymology resources held at Waitakere Libraries.
They include dictionaries dedicated to etymology & other books that examine the history of words or phrases.

Click to find more about the book.

• The Oxford dictionary of word histories
   
• Dictionary of word origins, 2000 edition / 2004 edition
   
• Dictionary of English down the ages : words & phrases born out of historical events great & small
   
• Bloomsbury dictionary of word origins
   
• The fascinating origins of everyday words
   
• The word detective
   
• Thereby hangs a tale : stories of curious word origins
   
• Words, words, words
   
  
• For more books click here

eResources

Go to our eResources page and check out the Oxford English Dictionary (under the heading Arts, music & literature). Look up a word then click the 'Etymology' tab to find out about its history.

Websites

• Etymology Online Dictionary s a simple to use online etymology dictionary.
• Wordorigins.org is an etymology website created by writer Dave Wilton. It includes a list of about 400 words and phrases, plus it has a blog, discussion forum & links to other resources.
• World Wide Words is the website of author and word-enthusiast Michael Quinion. It includes information on the origins of English words and phrases.

Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute

Cover of volume 1, dated 1868

Zoological illustration

Botanical illustration

The Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand is one of New Zealand's most important research publications, particularly for science. Contributors to the Transactions include James Hector, William Colenso, Charles Fleming, Thomas Hocken, and Ernest Rutherford.

The Royal Society (known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933) was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society and the Otago Institute.

These societies often did not have the means to publish the papers that were presented to them or maintain a written record of their activities. The NZ Institute was set up to remedy this through the publication of a single volume of transactions and proceedings on their behalf.

The Transactions contain the papers read before the member societies and the Proceedings record the business of the Royal Society and its affiliates.

The first volume, published in 1869, included the papers presented in 1868. The Transactions and Proceedings followed this pattern, with some variations until 1961.

The Transactions were split in 1961 into separate series for zoology, botany, geology and general. The Proceedings, which had been published separately since 1958 with the same numbering as the Transactions, continued till 1996.

The Royal Society has since 1910 published, irregularly, a monographic series entitled the Bulletin for papers that were too large for the Transactions.

You can read or refer to the Transactions in the Reference section at Waitakere Central Library.

Library catalogue links

Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 1868 - 1940
Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 1941 - 1951
Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 1952 - 1961

The complete set of the Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868 - 1961 can be read in full text on the following web site http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz

The Digitisation of the Transactions was carried out by the National Library in consultation with the Royal Society from original volumes held in the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library.

The Transactions are also searchable through the global science gateway.

Phaidon atlas of contemporary world architecture

A comprehensive global survey of the most outstanding works of contemporary architecture from around the world. This book is organized geographically and illustrated with global, regional and sub-regional maps locating each individual building.

It is divided into six geographical regions with images of the buildings and meticulous maps in each section, providing geographical orientation and an understanding of where contemporary architecture is being commissioned, designed and built.

It contains over 1,000 of the most outstanding works of architecture from all over the world built since 1998, and includes every building type from the smallest single houses, chapels and wineries to the largest art galleries, airports, law courts and embassies

You can read or refer to this book in the Reference section at Waitakere Central Library

The New Zealand Official Yearbook

by Statistics New Zealand and Bateman's

Originally published annually for over 100 years, the New Zealand Official Yearbook is now published every two years by Statistics New Zealand and Bateman's. The Statistics New Zealand website contains an electronic version of the yearbook, with links to the current statistical figures. The book is published with two main purposes:

1. As a compendium of facts and figures on New Zealand;
2. To describe the major changes in New Zealand's administrative framework for the year preceding publication. The more recent yearbooks emphasize a specific theme, for example the year 2000 edition explores "New Zealand in the 20th century and beyond: a statistical history of the last century and future prospects." The 1990 edition had New Zealand history in focus and is most the valuable edition so far.

The yearbook covers a full spectrum of New Zealand information, from Geography through to Science and Technology to Public Sector Finance. It is illustrated with some historical and a load of recent photographs that provide a fascinating social commentary. There are many charts, graphs, and maps. Inserted coloured boxes provide additional facts, for example, information of Hector's dolphins, a list of New Zealand's top 12 films at the box office. The inserted information is different each year.

The Waitakere Central library has a collection of yearbooks dating back to1899 with a few exceptions. These are available for use in the reference section only and may have some photocopying restriction.

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology

by McGraw-Hill Staff

For more than four decades, McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Science & Technology has provided readers with the information they need in an understandable, authoritative way that invites critical inquiry and captures the imagination.

In the age of "Googling" and pervasive first-use of Wikipedia, readers need authoritative content written at a level accessible to the student or layperson and an exceptionally broad range of topics from every field of modern science and technology.

Readers will find 7,000+ articles covering nearly 100 fields of science in this amazing 20 volume set. The new Tenth Edition features more than 1,700 new and updated articles, 12,000+ illustrations, and more than 5000 contributors.

The logical organisation of the 20 volumes, a 500 page analytical index, an extensive topic index, along with Study Guides, make finding information fast and easy.

Cutting-edge topics covered include: Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Cloning, Food Allergy, Genomics, Stem Cells, Cellular Automata, Computational Intelligence, Computer-Aided Circuit Design, Voice-Over IP, Water Supply Engineering, Fossil Humans, Fossil Primates, and many, many more.

A well-constructed index volume provides subject access to the contents. More than 1,700 new and updated articles are included in the 10th edition, mostly in rapidly advancing areas such as cell and molecular biology, information technology, nanotechnology, the environment, and cosmology.

In many libraries, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology is the first source patrons consult when beginning background research on a scientific topic. Written by an outstanding international team of 500 subject experts, including 25 Nobel Prize winners, this encyclopedia is aimed at a nonspecialist audience.

You can read or refer to this book in the Reference section at the following Library branches.

Massey
New Lynn
Waitakere Central Library

Complete Guide to Prescription and Non-Prescription Drugs

by H Winter Griffith MD

The ultimate A-to-Z illness and drug reference guide. This revised and updated edition of the bestselling drug guide provides the necessary information about all the prescription and non-prescription drugs that the public has come to rely on. It contains information on drugs numbering over 6000 brand names and over 1000 generic names.

Each drug is discussed under the following headings:

1. Generic or class name - All drugs have generic names which are the same worldwide.
2. Brand names - These are easier and shorter to remember and are selected by the manufacturers.
3. Under basic information one would find out if a medication could lead to dependency or if a prescription was needed to purchase the drug. The information available is under its generic name giving its drug class and uses.
4. Dosage and usage information discusses how to and when to take the medication and also discusses forgotten dosage, action of drugs in the body, how long the drug takes to work, and when not to take them.
5. Under over dosage and possible adverse/side effects, it discusses symptoms, frequency, what to do when it happens, warnings and precautions, when to consult your doctor, what if you were over sixty or if you were pregnant or breast feeding and a few other possible advice/harm topics.

The information is not intended to replace consultation with a physician and all information is presented by generic drug name. It is to be noted that not every possible side effect is included. There are other drugs books available at the Waitakere Central Library that could also carry similar information.

Encyclopedia of the peoples of Asia and Oceania

by Barbara A. West

From the Abkhazians of the Northwest Caucasus to the Zunghars, a nomadic Mongol people destroyed by the Qing emperors of China, this two-volume encyclopedia contains some 400 entries providing information on the major cultural groups that live and have lived in the Asia- Pacific region from ancient times to the present.

The most detailed entries, on large or well-known groups, include fact sheets and time lines and details on the people's geography, origins, languages, history, and culture, as well as select subsections discussing topics such as religion, social and political structures, economy, military practices, dwellings and architecture, clothing, transportation, technology, art, music, and literature.

Editor West (PhD, social anthropology, U. of Rochester) also includes appendixes listing the individuals featured in biographical sidebars; a chronology of Asian and Oceanic history; essays on religious systems, kinship systems, and subsistence systems; a bibliography; and a comprehensive index.

Some 200 black-and-white photographs, illustrations, and maps are also included. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

You can read or refer to this book in the Reference section at the following Library branches:

Massey
New Lynn
Waitakere Central Library

The state of the world atlas

by Dan Smith

The highly acclaimed survey of today’s world, completely revised and updated. With over 50 full colour world maps and pages of vivid graphics, it breaks down hardcore statistics to provide a compelling, succinct analysis of the latest available social, economic and political data.

You can read or refer to this book in the Reference section at the following Library branches.

Glen Eden
Massey
New Lynn
Te Atatu Peninsula
Waitakere Central Library

Table of Contents Who We Are Population Life Expectancy Ethnicity and Diversity Religious Beliefs Education Urbanisation Diversity of Cities Global Movement Wealth and Power National Income Inequality Quality of Life Transnationals Foreign Investment Trade Communications Energy Trade Tourism Debt and Aid War and Peace Wars in the 21st Century Warlords and Militias Terrorism Military Spending

Armed Forces Peacekeeping Casualties of War Refugees Global Peace Rights and Respect Political Systems Religious Freedom Press Freedom Human Rights Abuses Trafficking and Sex Tourism Children's Rights Women's Rights Gay Rights Health of the People Malnutrition Obesity Smoking Cancer Hiv/Aids Health of the Planet Biodiversity Water Resources Waste Energy Use

Legal Reference Manual

New Zealand Gazette

• New Zealand Gazette (including supplements, Customs, and trade Lists)
• New Ulster Gazette
• New Munster Gazette
• Auckland Provincial Gazette
• Hawke's Bay Provincial Gazette
• Taranaki Provincial Gazette
• Wellington Provincial Gazette
• Marlborough Provincial Gazette
• Canterbury Provincial Gazette
• Westland Provincial Gazette
• Otago Provincial Gazette
• Southland Provincial Gazette

The New Zealand Gazette and New Zealand history

Preventing the spread of Influenza

Read more...