Books are an expensive part of college life, and when books get stolen, owners lose money and their necessary reading material.

Officials from the Department of Public Safety, University Book Store and Campus Book Store agree there are three simple ways for students to avoid having their books stolen.

“We recommend that students write their names or make identification marks on the spine of the book,” said Christi Ross, assistant manager of Campus Book Store. “That way, if the book happens to be stolen, you have some hidden identification to identify the book with.”

Students shouldn’t stop at just marking the book itself, she said.

“We also recommend that students find a random page, and make an identifiable mark,” she said.

In most cases, Ross said, the people who steal the books won’t take the time to look through every page to find identifying marks.

Lynette Seymour, general manager of the University Book Store, said the easiest way to avoid having books stolen is to be responsible.

“People go to the bathroom and leave their backpacks lying on a table,” she said. “People don’t leave $200 lying on a table, so why would you leave $200 worth of books on a table? Just take the books with you wherever you go.”

The University Book Store has a security system at the front of the store to prevent people from stealing books. If a book is not deactivated at the front registers, it will trigger the alarm as the person walks out.

Book thefts are not uncommon at Iowa State.

Joshua Mahoney, 23, 827 24th St., and Michael Bourne, now deceased, were arrested and charged in connection with a number of books stolen from a backpack in Sweeney Hall in July, DPS officials said.

The two men tried to return the books to Campus Book Store for a profit before DPS and Ames Police Department officials were able to apprehend them.

Earlier this month, Mahoney, senior in forestry, was found guilty of fourth-degree theft. The case against Bourne was dismissed after Bourne died Aug. 10 from injuries he sustained during a car accident.

Lt. Tony Atilano, DPS, said the men were apprehended thanks to “some heads-up work by book store staff.”

“The men were caught because one of the books they had stolen was available only through a professor on campus,” Atilano said. “The book was loaned out to students by this professor, and was not available to buy in the bookstore.”

Jerry Stewart, interim director of DPS, said there are easy ways to avoid having books stolen.

He said students who get books stolen should report it right away.

“When we receive reports of stolen books, we contact the bookstores right away,” Stewart said. “The quicker we receive the report, the quicker we are able to warn the individual bookstores about the thefts.”

Stewart said when several books are stolen from a particular area, preventive measures are taken by DPS, he said.

“When a rash of thefts does occur in one area, we might place books,” Stewart said. “For example, if a number of books are stolen in Parks [Library], we could place books in Parks and have officers survey the books,” as a set up for would-be theives.