Our campuses: Library and Digital Skills Centre

Home to two specialist arts libraries and more that 30,000 of books dedicated to the art, media, design and craft, you will find everything you need to deepen your practice or broaden your horizons at HCA.

Through the library you will also be able to access subscriptions for and back issues of brilliant, beautiful and - occasionally pretty niche - arts journals and magazines.

In addition, as an HCA student you will also be able to explore a wealth of audio-visual resources and access online resources and content independently.

Our library team are here to help you lay your hands on what you're looking for, and suggest some recommendations that you might not have thought of.

As dedicated arts librarians, our team provide an almost endless amount of insight into the subject-specific resources available, and are an incredible resource to students when researching their subject, or unlocking some creative block.

The team will give all students an induction to the library system  when they begin their studies, and will be on-hand to support students Monday-Friday.

In 2024, Hereford College of Arts opened a new million-pound facility in the heart of our historic College Road Campus.

Open to all students, you will have access to top-end tech and the individual guidance you need to master new software and bring your ideas to life. 

The Digital Skills Centre comprises a set of two digital suites, and a hybrid student workspace delivered to Zero Carbon standards. The open-plan studio is also the hub for our technical demonstrators, and it where you can go for any IT support or large-scale printing.

We are always upgrading our technology and software options for students. If you have specific questions, our Outreach team can put you in touch with the relevant courses.

Whether digital design is your endpoint, or whether you use software packages to model designs or produce the perfect edit of your performance - knowing your way around a range of software can supercharge your creativity.

You will be introduced to key software packages early on in your time at HCA through sessions run by our Digital Skills Demonstrators and scheduled in as part of your course.

If you want to dive deeper, or try out a new platform, the team also run regular masterclasses through the year. These are open to all students, and just require you to sign up. Don't want to wait? Just call in at the Helpdesk in the Digital Skills Centre for assistance.

Our print staff are on-hand to help you learn how to use our full range industry-quality printers.

When it comes to making beautiful prints, there is more to the process than just hitting CTRL + P. 

Get advice on how to adjust the colour specs and resolution or crops on your designs to get perfect prints, trial different materials and finishes to get the final design you want - or experiment at scale, with large format printers capable of creating huge prints.