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What is an SAN?
SAN stands for Standard Address Number. It is a unique standard identification number, and is assigned to each physical address of an organization in (or served by) the publishing industry that is engaged in repetitive transactions with other members of the industry, with the goal of facilitating communications among them. It is an American National Standard - ANSI/NISO - Z39.43 - 1993 - Standard Address Number for the Publishing Industry.

What is the objective of the SAN?
The objective of this standard is to establish an identification numbering system, by assigning a discrete code to each physical address within the publishing industry, to be used for positive identification for all buying and selling transactions within the industry.

Why should I use the SAN?
Problems with various account numbers -- such as billing errors, products shipped to the wrong destinations, errors in payments and returns -- are effectively eliminated by using the SAN system. The SAN also eliminates a repetitive step in the order fulfillment process -- the "look up procedure" -- used to assign account numbers. Without a SAN, a library or a store dealing with fifty different publishers is assigned a different account number by each supplier. SAN solves this problem. If the booksellers or libraries you deal with have the SAN on your stationery and ordering documents, then the vendors you transact with do not have to check your account number and can proceed immediately to process your orders.

What does the SAN do?
The SAN itself has no functional meaning, as it merely defines an address. It becomes functional only in its application to activities such as purchasing, billing, shipping, receiving, paying, crediting and refunding. The user determines its application. Like an email address, it can be used for any communications or transactions between participating organizations to which you apply it. Users may wish to develop cross-references in their database systems between the ship-to and bill-to addresses for a single customer.

What is the format of the SAN?
The SAN consists of six digits, plus a check digit, displayed with a hyphen following the third digit (XXX-XXXX) to facilitate transcription. Whenever the SAN is printed on documents, it is to be preceded by the identifier "SAN" to avoid confusion with other numbering systems (SAN XXX-XXXX).

What is a "check digit"? Why is the last digit sometimes "X"?
The check digit is derived from the other 6 digits using a complex algorithm. This helps to prevent errors that may normally result from mis-typing. The method of determining the check digit for the SAN results in a number from 0 to 10, so the Roman numeral X is used whenever 10 would occur as a check digit.

Who is eligible for a SAN?
SANs are intended to be assigned to and used by anybody who deals with the U.S. publishing industry, including: software and book publishers, wholesalers, subscription agents, jobbers and distributors, college and university stores, libraries and library systems, library binders, vendors, elementary and secondary schools, and school systems, as well as service organizations providing a business function for each of the preceding organizations. In addition, SANs can be assigned to paper and cloth vendors, as well as compositors, printers and binders providing services to the publishing industry.

What do I do when I receive my SAN? Where is it printed?
You are encouraged to use the SAN in all of your transactions. We recommend that the SAN be imprinted on your stationery, letterheads, order forms, invoice forms, checks, and all other documents used in executing various transactions. You should do this at your earliest convenience the next time stationery and forms are reprinted. If you have a large stock of such forms, you may want to use a rubber stamp to add your SAN to the existing forms, until new ones are printed.

How can I find an assigned SAN?
BookIndustryLocator.com is Bowker's SAN-based online directory, which allows you to search the entire database of SAN assignments. The database includes address and contact information for publishers, libraries, distributors, wholesalers, bookstores, printers, book manufacturers, and more. Visit www.bookindustrylocator.com for more information.