The department also operates a central UNIX service which provides electronic mail, information and database services and other research facilities for staff and postgraduates. More powerful computers are available to users as part of the National Computing Services operated at Manchester, ULCC and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Computing Services makes bids for these national resources on behalf of the College and administers accounts directly. A Help Desk adjacent to one of the main computing rooms is open for eight hours per day in term-time to provide advice on a wide range of problems from how to use the applications available to purchasing a computer. In addition, the department runs short courses to help students and staff make better use of computers.
Some courses are open to applicants from outside the college.
The facilities provided by Computing Services are documented in several in-house publications available to users, such as the PC Primer and the UNIX Primer. The Computing Services Shop sells software, disks and other computer consumables at competitive rates.