GUM is a high quality publication that aims to produce engaging articles that push the boundaries of current student media, all whilst maintaining a fresh and high level of design throughout. The first issue of Glasgow University Magazine (GUM) was published on 5 February 1889 and is the oldest continuously published student magazine in Scotland. GUM provided a start for a number of illustrators, writers and editors who went on to make their marks in the wider world. They included James Bridie, Charles Oakley, and John Buchan, the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, who wrote for GUM in the 1890s. GUM is a part of and is partially funded by Glasgow University Students' Representative Council, although it retains editorial independence from them. It is one of four student media organisations within the SRC who provide both a service and opportunities to students at the University and to the local community. The Magazine won three awards in The Herald Scottish Student Press Awards 2006: Best Production, Best Magazine and Student Journalist of the Year. The Magazine also won the award for Best Magazine at the 2008 Herald Scottish Student Press Awards.