Both libraries enlist the support of local doctors to refer patients. The Stanford Health Library has housed its main branch in a shopping center since 1989. It moved from a small storefront to a bigger space at the front of the shopping center, and actually attracts customers to the mall. The library is geared towards consumers rather than medical personnel, and tends to attract affluent and sophisticated users. Each subject folder contains photocopies of medical journal articles, photocopies of sections of textbooks, brochures, and other appropriate materials.
Volunteers are greeters, researchers for medical journals, fundraising, etc.
Uses primarily mainstream medical model in terms of health topics. Popular and alternative medicine excluded. The PlaneTree Health Library in San Jose, CA, takes a more holistic approach to health. In addition to clinical articles, the files also include resources for self-help, Eastern medicine, and coping. PlaneTree uses card files situated on top of the file cabinets, and the filing system is one developed specifically for consumer health collections.