Talis has announced the winners of its Mashing up the library 2006 competition. The library automation vendor has awarded the first prize to Go-Go-Google Gadget and the second prize to an entry that puts library systems within a computer game.

John Blyberg of Ann Arbor District Library in the US has won £2000 for his Go-Go-Google Gadget mashup which allows library information to be integrated onto a Google homepage. "This is an excellent example of taking information previously locked inside the library catalogue and making it available to patrons in other contexts where they may spend more time than they do in their catalogue," said Paul Miller, a judge on the panel and Talis technology evangelist.

Second prize went to the Alliance Library Systems in East Peoria, again in the US for its innovative idea Second Life Library which puts library information inside the Second Life virtual world. Talis describe this as a "reaching new audiences in ways exciting and relevant to them as they live their lives".

As Miller predicted in IWR, the US took the spoils and is leading the move to develop mashups. A full list of entries is available from the competition site.