The Parklands-Turner Community, previously located at 1720 Alabama Ave. S.E., was the third of four portabranch community libraries built in the District of Columbia between 1981 and 1993. The portabranch program, initiated in 1974, planned for the construction of compact, pre-fabricated, portable library facilities in neighborhoods that lacked library service. Opened on April 4, 1984, the Parklands-Turner Community Library replaced a kiosk that had been placed in the neighborhood in 1976. The community library, stood adjacent to Turner Elementary School on land donated by the D.C. School Board. The building, funded through the Library Services & Construction Act of 1970, consists of a prefabricated steel and glass building designed by Portastructures Industries as an economical, space-saving alternative to permanent library branches.

In 1973, the DC Public Library imposed a moratorium on the construction of traditional library branch buildings. At this time, the D.C. Public Library reassessed the needs of the city, concluding that a more flexible, innovative way of serving its diverse constituencies was needed. As a part of this revised branch program, kiosk library branches and portabranches were proposed. Kiosks were designed to be approximately 120 gross square feet and have a book capacity of approximately 1,000 volumes.

The kiosk program was first conceived as early as 1972; however, the full program would not be outlined until 1974 in the D.C. Capital Improvements Program for 1975-80. The Parklands-Turner Kiosk, which opened in 1984, was one of eight kiosks in different "service" areas identified by the public library.

In 2008, the Board of Library Trustees determined that the kiosks were not providing the type of library service D.C. residents need or deserve.  As a result, the kiosks were closed.

The Parklands-Turner Kiosk remained open until a new full-service neighborhood library was built.  The new 4,900-square-foot ibrary opened in October 2009 with 25,000 books and other library materials, 20 public access computers, free WiFi Internet access and enough space for children, teens and adult programs.  The new library cost $878,000.

The Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library is located at 1547 Alabama Ave. S.E., across the street from the Parklands-Turner Kiosk.