Rachel Hutton writes: “Before going fine-free, about 42,000 St. Paul cardholders had their borrowing privileges blocked due to racking up fines of $10 or more. Though fine revenue represented a tiny fraction of the library’s budget, for some patrons, paying fines meant skimping on groceries. After zeroing card balances and reinstating borrowing privileges in 2019, that group checked out some 85,000 items. Now only 1% of cards are blocked, due to a patron not returning or paying the replacement cost of an item by 41 days after its due date.”