Databases and Source Analysis in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Limitations (the Example of Siberia in the 1897 Census Data)

The modern stage of historical and social sciences development is characterized by an active creation of digital projects and resources. Within these projects, new types of sources are being formed, such as digitized documents, databases, and information systems. These trends expand the possibilities for researchers and set new challenges for them, as well as open new scientific directions. One such direction is the source study of infor-mation resources and digital data, which is particularly relevant for historical sources that have a debatable na-ture, such as the materials of the 1897 First General Census of the Russian Empire. The aim of this study is to assess the possibilities of database technology in analyzing the 1897 Census materials, using the data on the number and employment of Siberia as an example. In the study, two interrelated tasks were addressed: to consid-er the advantages and limitations of using databases for the analysis of the source materials from the 1897 Cen-sus, and to assess the reliability of census data for particular indicators. The sources of this article include both published and archival materials of the 1897 Census (aggregated data and personal information of Tobolsk cen-sus forms), as well as databases created from these materials. The study was based on a systematic approach and utilized retrospective, comparative methods, as well as internal criticism of sources for source analysis. The au-thors state that databases have significant potential for source analysis and that the collection and processing of the 1897 Census materials for the Siberian population was of high quality: the discrepancy in the number of To-bolsk according to aggregated and personal data was only 1%. In addition, the development of digital resources and access to the 1897 Census materials and databases for users not only expands the capabilities of researchers, but also ensures the verification of data and conclusions.