Changes from May 2009. The descriptions below refer to old and new card formats. Cards issued prior to May 2009 are in the old format and will remain valid until they expire, or until a replacement is needed. New and replacement cards issued after May 2009 will have the new format.

Two types of card are recognised as entitling the holders to use OUCS services. All the cards described here have the shape of a credit card and carry a barcode strip on the front and a magnetic stripe on the back. General OUCS documentation refers to them all as University Card. What is important to OUCS is the status category shown near the top of the card. If your card shows a category which is not listed below, it does not entitle you to use any OUCS services. You may be eligible for a card with a different category - some guidance is available on our entitlements page.

If you telephone OUCS, we will usually ask you to identify yourself by quoting the barcode number on your card, so please have your card readily to hand. The barcode is the seven-digit number in small print adjacent to the barcode strip.

For the purposes of this web page

• College includes Society and Permanent Private Hall
• Department includes Faculty and Sub-Faculty.

Please note that OUCS makes all checks against the electronic record of your card. It is possible for your card to be cancelled by your college or department so that the expiry date on the electronic record is earlier than the expiry date on the printed card. If you receive your new card in the afternoon, the records at OUCS might not be updated until the morning of the next working day.

Sections in this document:

• 1. University Card - full University status
• 2. Crowned Card - association with a College or Department
• 3. Virtual Access Card
• 4. OULS Reader Card
• 5. Bodleian Library
• 6. Other cards
• 7. Using your Card
• 8. Obtaining a University card
• 9. Lost or stolen cards
• 10. Notes for IT Support and Administrative Staff