How to Make a Lectern in Minecraft & What Is It Used For?

The world of Minecraft is home to a ton of incredible adventures for players, many of which require players to craft some special items. The lectern in Minecraft can be a pretty handy item to have at your survival base, but plenty of players still wonder what it’s used for.

Lecterns in Minecraft are primarily useful for creating librarian villagers, Redstone contraptions, or for communication in Minecraft multiplayer mode. A lectern can be created by placing 4 wooden slabs of any kind and 1 bookshelf on a crafting table.

Although the process of crafting a lectern can seem slightly tricky at first, it can be pretty straightforward with the right approaches. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about lecterns in Minecraft, including what they are used for as well as how to make them in-game.

Minecraft Lecterns

Lecterns are not an essential item in Minecraft, but they grant various benefits to players who use them. This simple yet craftable item is a type of stand that can be used to hold books and is useful for both Minecraft players and NPCs in the game.

This item was added to the game in the 1.10 update, released back in June 2016. However, they are not available in every single Minecraft version or for every platform, and they are not available at all on Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii U.

Below are all of the availabilities for the lectern in Minecraft:

What Are Lecterns Used For In Minecraft?

Lecterns can be useful for a variety of things in Minecraft – for example, they could be used as fuel in some cases, or they can create unique bass sounds when placed under note blocks. But, players primarily make use of its most notable benefits, described below, rather than the extras.

Librarian Job Site Block

The most notable use of a lectern in Minecraft is definitely its function as a job site block for librarians. Unemployed villager NPCs can use empty lecterns to start working as a librarian, and librarians are considered some of the best villagers to trade in the game.

Unlike how lecterns are used by players, librarians do not use lecterns by placing books down and reading them. They instead simply stare at the lecterns from less than a block away from the item, indicating that they are ‘working’.

Librarians are absolutely awesome and can benefit just about every Minecraft player, one of the main reasons why lecterns are so useful. They can trade some handy items like enchanted books, and the quality of items they trade will get better according to their professional level – which will increase as players trade with them over time.

Book Holders

Players can also use lecterns in order to read books or possibly to leave messages to other players. Lecterns can be used to place down various books and quills – which can be crafted using ink sacs, books, and feathers.

There are some specifics when it comes to which looks a lectern can hold, however. Lecterns cannot hold enchanted or normal books in Minecraft. According to the Minecraft Wiki:

“Lecterns can also hold a single book and quill or written book that other players can read at the same time. Right-clicking an empty one with a book and quill or written book places it. Right-clicking a lectern with a book already occupied opens an interface to read the book.”

That being said, books do not necessarily need to be filled with writing in order to be placed down. Although this function is primarily more beneficial in multiplayer mode, many Minecraft players can still make use of lecterns in this way.

Redstone Signals

While it’s rather unexpected and is not the most popular usage of lecterns, these unassuming items can actually be used for Redstone devices in Minecraft. Lecterns will emit a full-strength Redstone signal when players turn a page of a book that’s been placed on them.

As a result, lecterns can also be used as decorative means to craft hidden entrances, doors, or even adjustable enchantment tables. There is a difference between Java and Bedrock when it comes to the strength of these Redstone signals since the number of pages displayed differs as well.

“For Java Edition a book with only 1 page gives maximum signal strength, however page 1 always gives 1 signal strength no matter what if a book contains at least 2 pages.”

“For Bedrock Edition the formula is slightly different. Due to Bedrock Edition showing 2 pages at once and counting a change to the book’s output only if the highest even numbered page contains information, a redstone comparator treats books with 3 pages the same as those with 1 or 2 pages of information, the same as how Java Edition would treat a book with just 1 page.”

How To Make A Lectern In Minecraft

Players who want to use lecterns in Minecraft will need to gather a few simple resources before they are able to craft it. We’ve gathered the entire crafting process for you to follow, with images thanks to Sportskeeda.

Required Materials & Recipes

There are quite a few ways that players could craft lecterns in Minecraft, and the materials necessary are generally quite simple to acquire. In any case, lecterns can be crafted using any 4 wood slabs and 1 bookshelf.

It does not have to be the same type of wood slab per recipe – players can use wood from every tree or wood resource in the game, and it will still work. The variety in recipes makes it simple for just about every Minecraft player to create lecterns, irrespective of where they have chosen to set up their base in the overworld.

Wood Slabs x4

Players will need to chop down 3 trees in order to get enough wood slabs for one lectern. This is since each log obtained will yield 4 wooden planks, and 3 planks will be needed to make wooden slabs.

Bookshelf x1

Crafting a bookshelf will likely be the most challenging aspect of crafting a lectern. Gather the following resources to make 3 books for a bookshelf in Minecraft:

Combine the leather and the paper on a crafting table to craft books, and repeat until you have 3 books.

After you have acquired 3 books, you will need to gather some wood for wooden planks and place the items on a crafting table, as seen below:

Once you have acquired a bookshelf and 4 wooden slabs, you’ll be able to craft 1 lectern. Place all of the items on a crafting table, with the bookshelf at the center as seen below to craft a lectern in Minecraft.

Now you have your very own lectern in Minecraft! Use it to gain some librarian villagers around your Minecraft overworld and obtain some of the best enchantment books over time, to fashion some unique Redstone contraptions, or simply use them to communicate with your friends in Minecraft multiplayer mode.