Gold Leaf

Libraries Week – “Celebrating Libraries in a Digital World”

It is Libraries Week in the UK – a “celebration of […] the role of libraries in the digital world” (CILIP’s words). CILIP is organising and coordinating a series of events to mark the occasion. Libraries up and down the country are organising events and activities around the celebrations, and the hashtag #librariesweek is trendingContinueContinue reading “Libraries Week – “Celebrating Libraries in a Digital World””

Audiobooks – more than just a trend?

Audiobooks have been the fastest growing area in consumer publishing, but also in academic publishing they are becoming more and more popular. Undoubtedly the market leader is Amazon’s “Audible” but other audio services like Spotify, Audiobooks.com and various eBook vendors also offer audiobook programmes and some publishers distribute audiobooks on their own ebook platforms orContinueContinue reading “Audiobooks – more than just a trend?”

The British Library: literally a national treasure

Today the British Library is housed in what from the outside is a very a non-descript building. Resembling a giant warehouse, it stands on Euston Road in London next to St Pancras station, its much more imposing neighbour, and is a stone’s throw from both Euston and King’s Cross stations. It therefore enjoys an idealContinueContinue reading “The British Library: literally a national treasure”

Jumping on the student gravy train

We’re almost twenty years into this century and each year has brought an increase in the politicisation of the UK’s universities, with the resulting knock-on effect on the student population. In 2002, Tony Blair said that the government’s target was for 50% of eighteen-year-olds to enter higher education – a figure which it subsequently transpiredContinueContinue reading “Jumping on the student gravy train”

Going out to Tender: a Study in Etiquette

During the (almost) twenty years of Gold Leaf’s existence, we have worked on many tenders. Sometimes we have been sitting on one side of the table; sometimes on the other. We have helped clients prepare Invitations to Tender [ITTs] and assess the eventual results they’ve received; we have advised at tender “beauty contests” (i.e., formalContinueContinue reading “Going out to Tender: a Study in Etiquette”