The Parkman Branch opened at its present location on April 16, 1931. It is named in honor of the American historian, Francis Parkman. This branch was the eighteenth in the Detroit Library system and the second to be designed according to a regional plan. The building is situated on a triangular site and the interior features the half-timbered early Tudor style.

Some of the special services and programs this branch offers include a computer lab, a substantial African-American collection for children and adults, popular fiction and non-fiction books, and the Friends of Parkman Branch, which has been active for several decades.