When the D.C. Public Library’s (DCPL) Xtreme Mobile debuted last December, the 32-foot, 2,750-book, computer-equipped mobile library was touted as relief for patrons of the Tenleytown, Shaw, Benning, and Anacostia branches, all closed since 2004 for renovations (“Borrowing Time,” City Desk, 1/6). But the reality has been less than Xciting: The Xtreme Mobile only stops at each community once a week and stays open for just four hours each visit; it remains in dry dock on Fridays and weekends. And patrons shouldn’t expect more hours or locations. The DCPL employs only one driver, Charles Davis, who until two weeks ago was the circulation supervisor at the Cleveland Park branch. His only backup is the driver for DCPL’s smaller bookmobile, which serves senior communities. If both drivers get sick simultaneously, both vehicles are grounded. Martha Saccocio, president of the Friends of Tenley-Friendship Library, has yet to visit the Xtreme Mobile, even though she lives only a block away from its parking site at Wilson Senior High School. “For the community it’s supposed to be serving, it’s useless,” she says. —Huan Hsu