Early Friday morning a sprinkler malfunction at Widener Library caused damage to approximately 400 books, according to an email obtained by The Crimson and confirmed by a spokesperson for the Harvard Library.

The Cambridge Fire Department responded to the malfunction, which occurred in the third floor elevator lobby of the east stacks. The elevator was closed throughout the day on Friday and water damage was visible on multiple floors. Response teams removed the books to be dried and restored.

Widener—the flagship library in the Harvard Library system—is home to more than three million volumes.

Library officials could not be reached for comment over the weekend.