The Next Generation of Record Linkage from Systematic Sources

A Workshop at the University of Guelph

March 5-6, 2007

Advances during the last decade in hardware, software and digital resources dramatically expand the potential for linking the records of individuals found in multiple systematic sources.  The next generation of linkage-based research presents historians and social and health scientists with remarkable opportunities and new methodological challenges.  Participants in the workshop will examine a diverse range of sources, methodologies and research applications in order to reflect on best practice for the next generation of linkage-based research.

The meeting is sponsored by the College of Arts, the College of Management and Economics and the 1891 Census Project http://www.census1891.ca/ at the University of Guelph.  For further information contact Professor Kris Inwood at 519-824-4120 or by email.

All meetings are in the Ontario Veterinary College, Lifelong Learning Centre, Boardroom (room 1708 – see map at back of the programme).

Monday March 5

9:00    Chair: Professor Kris Inwood, Economics and History, University of Guelph

          Welcome and introductions

Maarten Oosten, Informatics, Leiden University and trainee at the International Institute of Social History (IISG) and Kees Mandemakers, Senior Research Fellow at the IISG and Director, Historical Sample of the Netherlands

Intergenerational linking of 5.000.000 marriage records from the Netherlands 1812-1922

Gunnar Thorvaldsen, Research Director, Norwegian Historical Data Centre

Extending Norway's Population Register Backwards to 1801, What is the Realism and Potential?

11:00  coffee

11:15 Chair: Professor Graeme Morton, Scottish Studies Foundation Chair and Department of History, University of Guelph

Ray Madsen, Manager, Historical Family Reconstitution Unit, LDS Church and Sue Dintelman, Pleiades Software

Tools and Processes for Population Reconstitution -Record Linking and Merging Communities and Countries; Norway and Scotland

12:15  light lunch

13:30 Chair: Professor P. Douglas McCalla, Canada Research Chair in Canadian Rural History, University of Guelph

Bernard Casgrain and Michele Jomphe, Université de Québec à Chicoutimi and BALSAC

People, Methods and Results: the BALSAC Experience of Population Data Linkage

Kevin Schürer, History, University of Essex and Director of UK Data Archive

Plans for a Victorian Panel Study: Theory, Methodology and Practice

15:30  refreshments

15:45 Chair: Professor John Cranfield, Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph

Ron Goeken, Senior Research Associate, Minnesota Population Centre and Linkage Co-ordinator, NAPP2 Project

Update on Linking People from 1870 to 1880 in the US Census

Gordon Darroch, Sociology, York University and Director York CCRI (1911-1951 Canadian Census Samples) 

Reflections on 'Contextual' Variables and Selection Bias in Record Linkage: Lessons from an Early, Semi-automated Approach, Ontario 1861-1871

19 :00 dinner, Georgian Creeds Restaurant, 16 Douglas Street, Guelph (7 :00 for 7 :30)

Tuesday March 6

9:00    Chair: Professor Peter Baskerville, History, University of Victoria and Co-ordinator, Victoria CCRI

Lisa Dillon, Démographie, Université de Montréal and Director 1852 and 1881 Canadian Census Projects

A Decade of Changes in Household Complexity, Married Couples 1871 - 1881 Canada

Jason Gilliland, Geography, University of Western Ontario

Building an Urban Historical GIS for Montreal: Methodological Issues and Research Applications

Laurent Richard, Coordinator, Laval CCRI

Population et histoire sociale de la ville de Québec

11 :00 coffee

11:15 Chair: Professor Kevin James, History, University of Guelph

Shawn Day, McMaster University, Kris Inwood, University of Guelph and Asher Kirk-Elleker, University of Guelph

Manual vs Automated Linkage of Canadian WWI Personnel Records to the 1901 Census

Sue Dintelman and Tim Maness, Pleiades Software Development, Inc.

Record Linking with Family Data: Reconstituting the Population of Utah

Gunnar Thorvaldsen (speaking with a Swedish accent)

The Umeå University Demographic Data Base

12:45 Closing Remarks

additional participants:

Ms. Jean Dalgleish, Office Co-ordinator, 1891 Census Project, University of Guelph

Mr. Jason Dean, PhD candidate, Economics, McGill University

Dr. Michelle Edwards, Data Resource Centre, University of Guelph

Professor Elizabeth Ewan, University Research Chair of History and Scottish Studies, Guelph

Mr. Andrew Hinson, PhD candidate, History, University of Guelph

Ms. Chelsea Jack, Database Manager, 1891 Census Project, University of Guelph

Mr. Jordan McNamara, Coding Operator, 1891 Census Project, University of Guelph

Mr. Mat Novak, PhD candidate, Geography, University of Western Ontario

Professor Richard Reid, History University of Guelph

Professor Henry Thille, Economics, University of Guelph