by ERRIN JEWELL
The Parthenon

Book theft may be a problem on many college campuses, but book store manager, Mike Campbell said it seldomly occurs at Marshall. 

In fact, merchandise is seldomly stolen form the bookstore, he said. Most thefts occur when students steal books from each other and then attempt to sell them back to the book store. 

When students attempt to resale books, it is difficult to determine whether books were stolen or purchased, Campbell said. 

"We can’t tell if a book is yours without specific identification marks," Campbell said, "Ninety-nine percent of books are highlighted in the first few chapters, so you can’t use that to determine if a book is yours. Stickers or notes in your handwriting will help identify your books." 

He suggested students use the ‘birthday formula’ to mark their books. 

"If you write your name on the pages that correspond with your birthday, we can determine whether or not the books are yours," he said. 

An example would be if a student’s birthday is October 18, 1978, the student should write their name on pages 10, 18, 19 and 78. 

"Without identification marks, there is really no way to determine if you bought or stole the book," Campbell said, "We can scan your student ID card when you try to resell books to see if they match up to the classes your taking. If a senior is trying to sell freshman titles, or vice versa, then we suspect the books are stolen." 

"If a student is caught shoplifting or trying to resell stolen books, then it is a crime and we do prosecute," Campbell said. 

The best advice for students is to take precautions against thefts. “Don’t leave them alone," he said, "Always keep them with you." 

If your books are stolen, Campbell said to contact the MUPD and the bookstore so they can possibly recover the books. 
 
 

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