Database of Buryat Genealogies: Major Approaches and Implementation

Abstract

The article develops a database of archival sources covering Buryat family trees. Genealogic data were traditionally very important for Buryat society as they were linked to such aspects as administrative arrangement, economic activity and marital relations. Special importance of family relations in social organization was seen in spiritual life as it actualized the cult of ancestors. In the context of ethnocultural revival observed in the recent decades, the social significance of information resources on Buryat genealogies is increasing. The funds of the Center for Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs of the IMBT SB RAS store a large number of materials on this topic. They were the basis the discussed database was developed on. To form a meta-collection of archival materials on this topic the authors used corpus analysis methods processing the general index formed on the basis of electronic archival cases titles of the Center for Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs. To organize the data the methodology of authority control is applied. The ontology scheme of a family tree includes descriptive categories "Family", "Place", "Person". This makes it possible to implement user-friendly methods of data aggregation and visualization - GIS, hierarchical trees, social graphs, etc. which are integrated into a web application. Digitalization of archival and rare book funds contributes to the identification and formation of thematic meta-collections similar to the corpus of archival sources on Buryat genealogies considered in this article. This opens up new opportunities for a comprehensive disclosure of historical and cultural heritage.