A mystery worthy of a Dan Brown thriller

Strange notes have been appearing in books in the Weldon Library on campus. We believe one of the first notes was found in January of 2013, but since Mike Moffatt, assistant professor at the Ivey Business School, discovered a note in early March 2014 and offered a small reward for solving the puzzle, others on campus have discovered 17 more similar notes. They all have what look like wing-dings (but are not) and are accompanied by a feather, or plastic jewel, and a picture of a common household item. No one has claimed responsibility. Is it a secret code? a marketing ploy? an art-piece?

Have a browse through the image gallery and see if you can crack the code.