Most of us (mathematicians) begin our word processing careers with humble intentions - simply to
Get the thing typed!
''
services we have available in the department (afterall, that's what the
manuals exist for!) but rather
address the narrow problem of ``getting the thing typed''. At the very
least these notes should enable you to typeset most of your thesis (or paper
or letter). For trickier stuff ask around--everyone has had to learn a
trick here and there for their own special needs. If you are so
inclined, poke through some of the books describing fancier
techniques that can be emloyed. At present, the department has the
following reference books handy (almost always):
The book, by Knuth--the manual for (a classic masterpiece).
: A Document Preparation System,
by Lamport--the (clear and concise) manual for
The Companion, by Goossens, Mittelbach, & Samarin -
describes the various
extensions to available in the current release 
(lots of fun ``bells and whistles'' to check out here!).