Lectern

A lectern is a block used to display and read written books from. It also serves as a librarian's job site block.

Obtaining

Natural generation

Empty lecterns can generate naturally in village libraries, up to two for some library variants.

One lectern generates as part of each ancient city, in the secret room at the city center.

Breaking

Lecterns can be broken with any tool, but an axe is the fastest. Lecterns drop themselves and the book they are holding.

Crafting

Lecterns can only be crafted using a normal bookshelf, not a chiseled bookshelf, and proper wooden slabs, not petrified oak slabs.

Usage

Lecterns are the job site block of librarian villagers.

Librarian villagers do not place books into lecterns. They only stare at the lectern from less than a block away as "working".

Holding books

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. Books occupying a lectern can be retrieved through the interface,‌^{[Java Edition only]} punching the lectern‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} or by destroying the lectern, even when /gamerule doTileDrops is false.

Lecterns cannot hold enchanted books or normal books. Instead, right clicking the lectern with an enchanted book or a normal book does nothing and the book won't be placed.

Changing profession

If a village has a lectern that has not been claimed by a villager, any villager has a chance to change their profession into librarian if that villager has not already chosen a job site block.

Redstone signal

Lecterns holding a book emit a full-strength redstone pulse that is one game tick long (0.5 redstone ticks) when a page is turned. A redstone comparator also records book reading and sends a signal, depending on what page the player is currently on. Because Bedrock Edition displays two pages of the book at once, the same signal strength increments require double the number of pages.

For Java Edition a book with only 1 page gives maximum signal strength, however page 1 always gives 1 signal strength if the book contains at least 2 pages.

Due to this, to calculate the signal strength ${\displaystyle S}$ of books with more than 1 page, use the following formula:

${\displaystyle S = \left\lfloor 1 + \frac{14(P-1)}{M-1} \right\rfloor}$

Where ${\displaystyle \lfloor \, \rfloor}$ is the "floor" operation (round down), ${\displaystyle M}$ is the maximum number of pages the book on the lectern has, and ${\displaystyle P}$ is the current page number the lectern is turned to.

This is most noticeable when a book has 2 pages where the signal strength is either 1 on page 1 or 15 on page 2.

A book that would step up or down in increments of 1 per page would be 15 pages long.

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.

For 4 or more pages of information use the following formula to calculate signal strength.

${\displaystyle S = \left\lfloor 1 + \frac{14(P'-1)}{M'-1} \right\rfloor}$

In this case ${\displaystyle M'}$ is half of the maximum page number rounded down, and ${\displaystyle P'}$ is half of the current highest page number containing data displayed on the book interface, rounded down.

Rounding down is required to eliminate the discrepancy caused by books containing an odd number of pages. For example, a book with 8 pages gives a signal strength of 15 when looking at pages 7-8. A book with 9 pages has a signal strength of 15 when looking at either pages 7-8 and 9-10.

In Bedrock Edition, a book that steps up or down in increments of 1 per page turned must be exactly 30 pages long, with information left on page 30.

Fuel

Lecterns can be used as fuel in furnaces to smelt 1.5 items.

Note Blocks

Lecterns can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass" sound.

Sounds

Generic

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Unique

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Block states

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Block data

A lectern has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

History

Issues

Issues relating to "Lectern" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

Renders

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Screenshots

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  One of the two first images of the lectern.
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  The second of the first images of the lectern.
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  The first image of a modern lectern.^[2]
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  A lectern holding a book and quill.
• 
  Sunny using a lectern.

References