Proper entry and formatting of addresses is important not only in providing reliable contact information for each record, but in allowing the College to take advantage of automated and discounted mailing systems for major mailings. Any questions about formatting should be directed to the ITS Database Specialist or Mailing Services.
Each record should have no more than one active address for each type (the only exception is for the Finance or Vendor types VO, VR and VC).
Address histories are to be kept in Banner. Old or outdated addresses are to be made inactive (with an ending date) and the new or current address is added as a new record.
There are 3 lines of address of 75 characters each provided by Banner -- the first line must always be entered. The data on the address lines should contain delivery data only - do not include city, state and zip data on the address lines for U.S. addresses. For foreign addresses, see separate guidelines.
Canadian addresses are entered very much like U.S. addresses.
Street address information is entered in the address lines using the same general rules as listed above.
City name is entered in the city field.
The province or territory is entered in the state field using the two-letter abbreviation from the table below.
Alberta |
AB |
British Columbia |
BC |
Manitoba |
MB |
New Brunswick |
NB |
Newfoundland and Labrador |
NL |
Northwest Territories |
NT |
Nova Scotia |
NS |
Nunavut |
NU |
Ontario |
ON |
Prince Edward Island |
PE |
Quebec |
QC |
Saskatchewan |
SK |
Yukon |
YT |
The Canadian postal code is entered in the zip/postal code field. The format is always a letter-number combination of: AXA XAX. The space after the third character is always included.
The code for Canada must also be entered in the nation code field so that the word CANADA is printed at the bottom of the address.
Each foreign country has its own unique formatting rules. Specific guidelines are provided in a separate document and should be followed closely. Any questions about proper entry should be directed to the ITS Database Specialist BEFORE entering or changing information.
The following guidelines apply to all foreign countries other than Canada. Canadian addresses are entered very much like U.S. addresses. See complete details in section above.
In general, international addresses follow most of the same guidelines used in entering U.S. addresses. All information is to be entered using uppercase/lowercase letters. Never use all uppercase or lowercase letters (except for acronyms or if used for company names). As much as possible, use the abbreviations and formats provided in the section about street address lines. If possible, keep the information on lines 1 and 2 . Abbreviations can be used to get the address information to fit on a single line. Street address lines allow 75 characters in length but try to keep length to under 45 characters so addresses can be read in window envelopes and will accommodate some data sharing processes that can't handle longer fields.
Hyphens, slashes and periods can be used. A slash can be added between information when combining two short lines of address together in a single input line. This often happens with addresses for Hong Kong, Japan or other Asian countries. Whenever combining address lines, the information from the lower line is added at the end of the information on the upper line.
** Avoid using the pound (#) sign in the address. It can usually be dropped or substituted with No. if needed.
we receive: |
Taihei Bldg. #401 |
ESO-Asiacom |
|
Eitai 2-1-5 |
1F Milo's Ind Bldg |
|
Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-8666 |
2-10 Tai Yuen |
|
Japan |
Kwai Chung NT |
|
|
Hong Kong |
|
|
|
correct format: |
Taihei Bldg. 401 |
ESO-Asiacom 1F Milo's Ind.Bldg. |
|
Eitai 2-1-5 / Koto-ku |
2-10 Tai Yuen / Kwai Chung NT |
|
Tokyo 136-8666 |
Hong Kong |
|
Japan |
|
|
|
|
City information along with any local postal code information is entered in the city field. The postal code is entered either before, or after, the name of the city depending on the preferred format of that country. For some countries an additional letter code needs to be added to the postal code numbers given to us by a constituent. This formatting assures that the mail is properly sorted and the address can be used from the U.S. or by anyone mailing from overseas (such as one of the foreign language schools). Check the name of the individual country in Appendix A for any notes on codes that need to be included or specific formatting rules.
Examples: FR- is always added before the postal code in France 73250 Paris is entered as FR-73250 Paris
D-is always added before the postal code in Germany Berlin 15678 is entered as D-15678 Berlin
Nothing is ever entered in the state or zip/postal code fields for any international address (other than Canadian).
Besides the addition of a letter with the postal code, the information we receive may also need to be reformatted or repositioned to meet standards of mailing from the U.S. or to fit within the allowed spaces. The list of countries in Appendix A includes specific information about formatting. The sample addresses in Appendix B provide further guidelines. Use the spaces, dashes and extra letter codes as indicated. Some codes require more than one space between the code and the place name. Those formats are indicated by a number in parentheses next to the country name.
Examples:
we receive: |
64 Rue de Turenne |
Prin-2 Handjery Str. 30B |
|
75003 Paris, France |
Berlin, 14167 Germany |
|
|
|
correct format: |
64 Rue de Turenne |
Prin-2 Handjery Str. 30B |
|
F-75003 Paris |
D-14167 Berlin |
|
France |
Federal Republic Germany |
Sample formats for most of the countries we mail to are listed under Appendix B.
The name of the country must be printed alone on the last line of the address for outgoing mail. In Banner this is done by selecting the three digit code/country name from the list in the nation code field table. The codes are designed to print the proper name.
From any 'Nation' field in Banner, press "LIST" or "F9" and start typing the name of the country to drill down to your choice. Typically within typing 2-3 letters of the country name, your choice will be automatically selected. If not, you will see the countries matching your keystrokes, and you can double click on your choice or use the select key to return data. By using this mechanism, you can also see the full list of appropriate nation codes.
International phone numbers (outside the U.S. and Canada) must be entered on the Telephone tab, they can't be entered along with the address on the Address tab.
Numbers should be entered so they can be used by callers in the U.S., include any country and city codes as needed. The following standards were created to allow consistent reporting for the different formats between countries.
Phone Type: Select code from list of values to identify number.
Area Code: Enter '011' to indicate an international number requiring extra codes to dial from the U.S. to another country.
Phone Number: Enter “-“ (a dash) for all international numbers where 011 is enter in the area code field. (The dash allows a user to edit a linked address without getting error messages, provides a visual cue to anyone viewing the info from APASBIO or on the Address tab of any of the Banner Person Identification (%AIDEN) forms, and is useful when printing the number in a report or other exported format.
Phone Ext.: Enter a phone extension.
Prime: Check box to indicate the number should be the primary number associated with a specific address. Only one number can be checked primary per address. (e.g. when a person has two active work lines associated with an address, general and direct, choose which should be considered primary to display with the address for reporting purposes.)
Unlist: Check if number is unlisted and should not be given out or printed for any reason.
Inact: Check when number is no longer active.
International Access: Middlebury uses this field to store the entire international phone number in the format in which it’s received (which may be specific for that county), including any country and city codes and special characters to help identify country and city codes. Example: 44 (207) 727-1064 . If the number is too long for this field (max. 16 characters) then enter the number in the Comments field.
Comment: Record any notes about use of number, assistant's name, or international numbers that are too long for other fields.
Address Type and Sequence: To associate a telephone number to a specific address enter the address type code and sequence number of the address from the Address tab. Or click on the pull down arrow next to Address type field which will direct you to a form to review current addresses. Highlight and double click on the desired address and the type and sequence code will be pulled into telephone fields. Reminder: Multiple phone numbers can be associated to the same address, but only one can be checked Primary. SAVE
When making decisions about what to enter on what line, remember that the U.S. Post Office delivery standards read the address data from the bottom up and that if necessary, the Banner Label Program will delete lines of the address from the top down if it is not able to fit the address data on five lines (examples are provided below).
One Address Line:If there is one line of address, enter it on Line 1:
123 Main Street --------------This is the primary delivery data and should be entered on line 1.Dunley, PA 15432
Two Address Lines: If there are two lines of address the secondary data should be entered on Line 1 and the primary address data on Line 2:
16 Willow Drive -------------This is secondary delivery data
RR 1 Box 68A ---------------This is the primary delivery data
Dunley, PA 15432
Three Address Lines: If there are three lines of address, the tertiary data should be entered on Line 1,
secondary data on Line 2 and the primary delivery data on Line 3:
Willow Farms --------------This is the tertiary delivery data
16 Willow Drive ------------This is secondary delivery data
RR 1 Box 68A --------------This is the primary delivery data
Dunley, PA 15432
Post Office Boxes: If you have a PO box and a street address, the PO Box should be considered the primary delivery data and entered on Line 3:
Willow Farms -------------This is the tertiary delivery data
16 Willow Drive -----------This is secondary delivery data
PO Box 1234 --------------This is the primary delivery data
Dunley, PA 15432
Apartments: If you have an apartment number it should be entered at the end of the street address on Line 1. If the address doesn't fit all on one line then the apartment number is entered above the street address on Line 1 with the street address entered as the primary delivery data on Line 2:
Apt. 135 ---------------------This is secondary delivery data
1101 Alexander Hamilton Ave. ---This is primary delivery data
Dunley, PA 15432
All information is to be entered using uppercase/lowercase letters. Never use all uppercase or lowercase letters. Street address maximum field length is 75 characters.
The preferred format is to spell out all address suffixes or street designators such as Road, Street, Avenue, etc. The only standard exception to this rule is Boulevard, which can always be abbreviated as Blvd.
Other designators can be abbreviated if necessary to fit the address on one line.
All acceptable abbreviations are listed below.
Alley |
Aly. |
Arcade |
Arc. |
Avenue |
Ave. |
Beach |
Bch. |
Boulevard |
Blvd. |
Branch |
Br. |
Bridge |
Brg. |
Bypass |
Byp. |
Canyon |
Cyn. |
Causeway |
Cswy. |
Center |
Ctr. |
Circle |
Cir. |
Cliff |
Clf. |
Cliffs |
Clfs. |
Corner |
Cor. |
Corners |
Cors. |
Course |
Crse. |
Court |
Ct. |
Courts |
Cts. |
Cove |
Cv. |
Creek |
Crk. |
Crescent |
Cres. |
Crossing |
Xing. |
Drive |
Dr. |
Estate (s) |
Est. |
Expressway |
Expy. |
Extension |
Ext. |
Forest |
Frst. |
Fort |
Ft. |
Freeway |
Fwy. |
Front |
Frnt. |
Garden |
Gdn. |
Gardens |
Gdns. |
Gateway |
Gtwy. |
Green |
Grn. |
Ground |
Grd. |
Grove |
Grv. |
Harbor |
Hbr. |
Heights |
Hts. |
Highway |
Hwy. |
Island (s) |
Is. |
Junction |
Jct. |
Lake |
Lk. |
Lakes |
Lks. |
Landing |
Lndg. |
Lane |
Ln. |
Light |
Lgt. |
Lobby |
Lbby. |
Lock |
Lck. |
Locks |
Lcks. |
Lodge |
Ldg. |
Lower |
Lowr. |
Manor |
Mnr. |
Meadow |
Mdw. |
Meadows |
Mdws. |
Mission |
Msn. |
Mount |
Mt. |
Mountain |
Mtn. |
Neck |
Nck. |
Orchard |
Orch. |
Park |
Pk. |
Parkway |
Pkwy. |
Peninsula |
Pnsla. |
Place |
Pl. |
Plaza |
Plz. |
Point |
Pt. |
Port |
Prt. |
Prairie |
Pr. |
Rapid |
Rpd. |
Rapids |
Rpds |
Ridge |
Rdg. |
River |
Riv. |
Road |
Rd. |
Shore |
Shr. |
Shores |
Shrs. |
Spring |
Spg. |
Springs |
Spgs |
Square |
Sq. |
Station |
Sta. |
Stream |
Strm. |
Street |
St. |
Summit |
Smt. |
Terrace |
Ter. |
Trace |
Trce. |
Track |
Trak. |
Trafficway |
Trfy. |
Trail |
Trl. |
Trailer |
Trlr. |
Tunnel |
Tunl. |
Turnpike |
Tpke. |
Union |
Un. |
Upper |
Uppr. |
Valley |
Vly. |
Viaduct |
Via. |
View |
Vw. |
Village |
Vlg. |
Ville |
Vl. |
Vista |
Vis. |
Way |
Way |
Secondary address identifiers or unit designators are generally spelled out if there's space. The most common unit designators are Building, Floor, Room, Suite, Unit and Apartment. The only standard exception to the rule is Apartment, which should always be abbreviated Apt. Other secondary identifiers are spelled out but can be abbreviated if necessary to fit address on one line. List of acceptable abbreviations:
Apartment |
Apt. |
Basement |
Bsmt. |
Bottom |
Btm. |
Building |
Bldg. |
Department |
Dept. |
Floor |
Fl. |
Front |
Frnt. |
Penthouse |
Ph. |
Room |
Rm. |
Suite |
Ste. |
Tower |
Twr. |
Unit |
Unit |
** The pound (#) sign is never used anywhere in the address. If an address is received with just a number at the end of the street, it can most often be assumed it's an apartment number. Use the abbreviation No. for number when necessary (i.e., Lodge No. 123)
Directionals (South, East, West, Southwest) are always abbreviated (without periods or spaces) unless they are part of the actual street name (i.e., North Street, East River Road, West End Avenue).
Examples: 149 North Street (not 149 N. Street)
234 Jackson Street N
1222 SW Morris Street
15 N East River Road (the street name is East River Road, runs N & S)
876 N West End Avenue
An exception to the above rule is when the street name itself is E, W, N, or S or any single letter like I Street. This is common to many street addresses in Washington DC. In these cases, the compass direction preceding the street name should be spelled out.
Examples: 15 East E Street
789 North W Place
234 I Street SW
456 O Street NE
For addresses where the street name is a number, the number should be spelled out if it is a number from 1-10. For numbers 11 and above, the number itself should be used with the appropriate suffix (i.e., the "nd" in 42nd).
Examples: 123 Fifth Avenue
456 Tenth Street
11 42nd Street
56 12th Avenue
Hyphens and slashes may be used when needed for clarity or designated fractions.
The period is allowed.
The ampersand (&) should not be used instead of the word 'and' unless it is part of the legal company name.
Do not use the percent sign (%) or spell out 'in care of'.
The third line of the street address is usually used only for international addresses or business addresses that won't fit on two lines.
Use one line for a street address when possible. Use acceptable abbreviations to shorten the address so it will fit on one line.
Examples: 101 S Superior Street Apt. 3
185 Pine Haven Shrs. Rd. Apt. 110
Rather than two lines:
Apartment 3 Apt. 110
101 S Superior Street 185 Pine Haven Shores Road
**Commas are generally not used in address lines.
Rural Route addresses are entered as RR__ Box __ with a space between each part.
Addresses received as RFD or RD should be entered as RR.
A Box number in an address should always be preceded by another postal indicator, most often RR or PO. If an address is received with just a Box number, assume it is an PO Box unless the address indicates that it is a school or college address. Then the Box number should go above or at the end of the school address.
Other types of Boxes include PMB (for a rented Personal Mail Box). Some schools may also use initials for student campus mail boxes. No punctuation is used in these acronyms.
The city name is always entered in the city field. The name is entered in uppercase/lowercase letters. Maximum field length is 50 characters.
U.S. cities will automatically be entered in the city field when the zip code is entered in the zip code field. After entering the zip code, the city information should be reviewed to see that it is accurate and conforms to the preferred standards. In some cases one zip code is used for more than one town (i.e., Middlebury and Cornwall, Brandon and Sudbury) and the default city name will have to be changed. The city field can be changed and corrected after the zip code information has been entered.
The general rule is that city names should be spelled out. A standard exception is when the city name includes St. for Saint and Ft. for Fort, then always use that format (see list below).
Directionals in a city name are never abbreviated. (Examples: North Boston, East Bend).
The only exceptions to these general rules is when the city name needs to be shortened to fit the field. In those cases refer to the list of examples below or to the lists of excepted abbreviations found in the street address or the non-person field sections for guidelines. Punctuation may be left out in order to fit the field size.
Examples:
Aberdeen Proving Grd. |
Palos Verdes Pnsla. |
Channel Is. Harbor |
Port Jefferson Sta. |
Eielson AF Base |
Randolph AF Base |
Ft. Benj. Harrison |
Research Triangle Pk |
Frederiksted St. Crx. (VI) |
Rolling Hills Est. |
Hartland Four Cors. |
St. Petersburg Beach |
Hot Springs Natl. Park |
Shelter Island Hts |
Loring AF Base |
White Sulphur Spgs. |
Marine on St. Croix |
USAF Academy |
Natural Bridge Sta. |
Washington Ct House |
|
Yellowstone Natl Park |
In some rare exceptions there are no obvious abbreviations to make. For those city names either leave out a word (often the word "the") or drop the necessary letters at the end of the name so it will fit on the line.
Examples:
For: |
Use: |
Manchester-by-the-Sea |
Manchester-by-Sea |
Lauderdale by the Sea |
Lauderdale by Sea |
Rancho Santa Margarita |
Rancho Santa Margar |
Truth or Consequences |
Truth or Consequence |
Periods are used for actual abbreviations.
Punctuation is allowed. (Examples: Croton-on-Hudson, Dingman's Ferry).
The state field is used for U.S. and Canadian addresses only. Enter the two-letter standard abbreviation for U.S. states, U.S. territories or military destinations, or for Canadian provinces/territories. See the section on Canadian addresses for the complete list of province/territory abbreviations.
Abbreviations for territories that are considered U.S. addresses include:
American Samoa |
AS |
Federated States of Micronesia |
FM |
Guam |
GU |
Marshall Islands |
MH |
Northern Mariana Islands |
MP |
Palau |
PW |
Puerto Rico |
PR |
Virgin Islands |
VI |
The zip code validation system will enter the state information for U.S. addresses (not Canadian).
More information about the validation system
Zip codes MUST be entered for all U.S. and Canadian addresses.
The zip code field is NOT to be used for any other international addresses.
Banner has a zip code validation program. When the five digit zip is entered, the program will automatically validate and enter the correct city and state names in those fields based on the information in the program. Once the program has validated and entered the information, the city and zip fields can be edited.
After entering the zip code, remember to review the city information to see that it is accurate and conforms to the preferred standards. Be aware of those places where one zip code is used for more than one town (i.e., Middlebury and Cornwall, Brandon and Sudbury). Sometimes the default city name from the validation program will have to be changed. The city field can be edited after the zip code information has been entered.
If the zip+4 information is available, enter it in the zip field. The hyphen must be used when entering the entire nine-digit ZIP code.
NOTE: The validation program will not work if something has already been entered in the city or state fields. Entering the full nine digit zip code initially will not activate the validation program, so the city and state information will have to be entered manually. You can enter the five digit zip code to validate the city and state fields, then go back and add the hyphen and last four digits to the zip code.
The nation code field is used ONLY for international addresses. It is always left blank when a U.S. zip code is used. This includes military addresses and addresses in U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. See separate standards on international addresses for more information on using this field.
When entering the business address for a person, the department should be entered on Line 1, the business or firm name on Line 2 and the delivery data on Line 3. If the delivery data requires more than two lines, the department data should be omitted.
Public Relations --------------------------Department
American Heart Association ----------Company/Firm Name
1660 Duke Street Suite 1234 ---------Street and Office Suite
Washington, DC 22134
OR
American Heart Association ---------Company/Firm Name
Suite 1234 --------------------------------Suite
1660 NW Frontier Street ---------------Street
Washington, DC 22134
The guidelines for business/organization address--non-person records--should be followed for all corporations, organizations, foundations and vendors. The same general rules as described in the previous sections apply to these records.
Address Line 1: Twin Towers Buildings Suite 100 ----Secondary Delivery Data*
Address Line 2: 365 Boylston Street ----------------------Primary Delivery Data
City, State, Zip: Boston, MA 02134
*Note: As a general rule, suite numbers, building names, etc. should appear on line 2 and the street address, PO box and such data should appear on line 3.
Military addresses are treated as U.S. addresses and have U.S. zip codes.
Enter the APO or AFO code into the city field.
The following codes are considered "military states" and are entered in the state field.
AE – Armed Forces Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada
AP – Armed Forces Pacific
AA – Armed Forces Americas (excluding Canada)