Those who say books are only for reading should think again.

Just look at Penn State artist James Thurman's new exhibition, Bookworks, which is on display in the Pennsylvania Center for the Book office on the second floor of the Paterno Library.

Bookworks features several plates, lamps and bowls made out of recycled books, maps, lamp parts and wood shavings. The books and maps used in the work were on their way to a landfill before Thurman found a way to incorporate them in a new form of art.

"It's recycling at its best," Steven Herb, director of the center, said. "I just find it kind of interesting that something that lived a life in one form is now being given the chance to live a life in another."

Thurman, an assistant professor in the 3D Foundations Program and associate to the director of Penn State's School of Visual Arts, will be leading a conversation about his work at 5:30 p.m. today in 201B Pattee. The event is sponsored by the University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.

"I'm hoping that I can kind of open it up, to show my own ideas but also to have a conversation with people to see what ideas and questions other people have," Thurman said. Thurman started his project last year while designing awards for the Green Design Conference, an annual symposium about environmental design. Working with printmaker and book artist Chuck Cave, Thurman created functional candlesticks made out of recycled books.

"We just really enjoyed the whole process making those awards, so we continued on our own," Thurman said.

Some of Thurman's colleagues, however, did not think he would be able to create anything larger than candles using recycled books. "There's no way you could ever do that," Thurman recalls hearing.

These comments did not deter Thurman, who called his project "a rebellious sort of thing." He added, "I tried it and for the past year, I've been working on different processes and how to do that."

He was able to craft several plates and bowls using a wood-turning lathe, which is an instrument used to make anything round out of wood. After he glued the books and maps together, Thurman placed them in the lathe to make shapes.

Now teaching again, Thurman has not had as much time to explore this new form of design as he did over the summer.

"Most faculty, particularly in the arts, get a lot of their own work done over the summer period," he said. "While we're teaching, we get a little bit less done."

Still, Thurman plans to continue exploring this new art form and working with recycled books. "I'm just continuing with this body of work and kind of expanding beyond," he said. "Basically working on getting it out into the world, showing it nationally and internationally."