The purpose of this study is to examine the viewpoint of national archives on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, discover their activities in relation to the application of these technologies, and analyse their thoughts on how these technologies can play a role in the preservation of records’ trustworthiness. A survey method was adopted in the study. The survey consisted of 18 questions about national archives’ attitude and actions in relation to application of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. The survey was sent to the 194 national archives listed in the Directory of National Archives. Eighteen responses have been acquired which, while low, provides initial insights into how national archives are responding to these technologies. This study has three hypotheses. The first one is “blockchain technology will change archiving practices”, the second one is “the trustworthiness of digital records can be preserved better with blockchain technology”, and the last one is “national archives are reluctant to implement blockchain networks that use tradable crypto-assets”. According to the results obtained from the survey, the first hypothesis has not been verified. The second hypothesis is likely, as national archives that are keen to adopt blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, but a majority of the archives are hesitant to adopt these technologies for archiving, suggesting that the third and final hypothesis might also true, though the reasons for national archives’ reluctance to adopt these technologies could be more varied than originally hypothesized. This study is one of the first systemic analyses of the viewpoint and activities of national archives on blockchain and distributed technologies.Özhan Saglik, Victoria Lemieux, December 31, 2023
The fourth question sought to ascertain how blockchain technology could change archival practices in the following five years. It is made up of five questions with sub-issues. In the beginning, we asked if national archives envisioned using technology for archival preservation. Five blockchain archives agreed, eight were neutral, four disapproved, and one severely opposed. The responses are shown in Fig. 2. The second sub-issue of the fourth question is whether blockchain technology can be used to protect the integrity of records. Two archives strongly agreed, seven agreed, seven were neutral, and two disagreed. The responses are shown in the Fig. 3. The opinion of national archives on acquiring or having transferred crypto-assets to them was sought in the third subissue. Three archives were in favour, eight were neutral, six were opposed, and one was highly opposed. These answers can be represented in Fig. 4.
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The fourth sub-issue inquired if national archives could generate their own crypto-assets for purposes such as generating revenue or the creation of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) for promotion. One archives strongly agreed, two archives agreed, three were neutral, ten disagreed, and two strongly disagreed. The obtained responses are shown in Fig. 5. The last sub-issue is whether national archives will become more relevant implement blockchain they technology. Eight archives agreed, six were neutral, three disagreed, and one strongly disagreed. These answers are shown in Fig. 6.
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Four NA agreed, three were neutral, and eleven disagreed. The responses are as in Fig. 7. The study's second hypothesis is that "the trustworthiness of digital records can be better preserved with blockchain technology." This conception is connected to the fifth and ninth questions. In the fifth question, the national archives were asked if they thought blockchain technology should be included in digital preservation policies. One archives concurred strongly, eight agreed, six were neutral, and three disagreed. The Fig. 8. shows the responses.
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The ninth question inquires whether national archives will utilize a blockchain network to register new record transfers. If the response is negative, there will be no further advancement. However, if the response is affirmative, four additional questions will be posed. Eight archives declared that they would register the ingest of records on a blockchain network. Ten archives provided the opposite response. The initial sub-issue of the ninth question focuses on determining whether blockchain technology can enhance the preservation of record integrity. Integrity means that records are complete and unaltered. Four archives strongly agreed, and the other four agreed. As %100 of national archives agreed with this sentiment, there wont be any figure.
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