The United States National Library of Medicine developed Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to use on its many health science databases and collection.

The Subject Headings are published in large red volumes (currently five), which are typically displayed in the reference sections of research libraries.

Sears' List of Subject Headings also offers small libraries guidance on how to create their own new subject headings consistently when necessary.

After her death in 1933 at age 60, the book was eventually renamed in her honor to The Sears List of Subject Headings.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

The database is indexed using standard Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

Now in its twelfth edition (1982), Sears List of Subject Headings was first written by Minnie Sears and published in 1923.

Its overall structure and principles are similar to those of the Library of Congress List of Subject Headings though differences arise from Sears' being designed for smaller libraries.

Both Sears' and the Library of Congress List of Subject Headings have been criticized on the following counts:

The 19th edition of this scheme is being used at present along with AACR2 and the 15th edition of the Sears List of Subject Headings.