How to use .d.ts files

I have a project that I am using typescript in and want to use typescript definition files to interface with libraries such as mongoose. I have installed the appropriate .d.ts files via

tsd query mongoose --action install
tsd query node --action install

I'm trying to import mongoose via the following code

///<reference path="../typings/mongoose/mongoose.d.ts">
import mongoose = require("mongoose");

class MongooseUser
{
    constructor()
    {

    }

    useMongoose():any {
        return mongoose.Collection;
    }
}

Obviously, I'm not trying to do anything here at the moment, but when I transpile this I get the following errors

Unable to resolve external module '"mongoose"'.
Module cannot be aliased to a non-module type.
error TS2095: Could not find symbol 'mongoose'.

Either looking for a complete example on how to use these things (which sadly the docs are terrible at providing) or some pointers. Thanks.