Damage to Harvard Gay Books Accidental

A dean at Harvard University said that what initially appeared to be an act of vandalism in which urine was poured on almost 40 gay and lesbian books was instead an accident.

According to the Associated Press, "Dean Evelynn Hammonds told The Crimson student newspaper Monday that an investigation determined that a library worker found a bottle of what appeared to be urine on a shelf in the Lamont Library and accidentally spilled it."

Campus police had been investigating the incident as a hate crime. Some 36 books worth several thousand dollars were ruined in the incident, which took place on November 24 and was reported last week.

The AP reports that it remains unclear why a bottle of urine was in the library.