Librarian Alex Porrata sat on the porch of the Inverness Library, an inviting yellow house in First Valley once known as the Gables, greeting people by name. They were gathering for a Monday afternoon mending circle, one of the library’s latest community-oriented activities.
“It’s a welcoming space,” Ms. Porrata said. She has been the only regular librarian staffing the Inverness branch since Ann Bertucci left in December. She has presided over pared-down post-Covid hours…