Among cell phones, keys and even bicycles, books are one of the most important things a student can lose – and one of the most expensive, too.

Because FAU has more students this year than ever before (28,000), the FAU Police Department came up with Operation Bookmark, a program aimed at preventing book theft on the Boca campus that’ll be active through Sept. 4. (See below for hours.)

“[Students’] books will be stamped and registered with the Police Department,” says Major Audrey Jones of the Investigative Unit at FAU. “If a book gets stolen with our stamp and that person tries to sell it, the bookstore will contact the Police Department.”

Still, even with a program like this, anybody who finds a book left on a table or in a classroom can easily go on Web sites like www.amazon.com or www.ebay.com and sell a book online.

“Operation Bookmark is just a deterrent,” says Community Service Officer Joseph Viggiano, who’s also a sophomore majoring in criminal justice. “We get about 30 lost books at the police station per month, and this program can help students find them.”

Jones also argues that it isn’t their goal to try to stop book theft altogether, because it’ll still happen, but rather to address the problem at FAU and protect students’ books when they lose them.

However, students thinking of selling a stamped book they found in the Breezeway should be prepared for the consequences.

“If a person gets caught trying to sell a book that’s not theirs, they’d go through a criminal process,” says Jones. She adds that this process could include the arrest of the individual.

Through Sept. 4, a representative from the FAU Police Department will be present at the FAU Bookstore in Boca, as well as at Booksmart (located across the street from the Boca campus), to stamp students’ books.

Students who’ve already purchased textbooks can still take them to be stamped this week. There’s no restriction on getting them stamped right after they’re bought.

“It doesn’t hurt to get your books stamped,” says Andrea Carpenter, a junior civil engineering major. “Besides, it could actually work.”

Detective Jason Melvin, the creator of Operation Bookmark, couldn’t be reached for comment.

If you’d like to get your book stamped, here are the times in which you can do so:

FAU BOOKSTORE

Monday 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Tuesday 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Wednesday 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Thursday 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

BOOKSMART

Monday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Tuesday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.