Blockchain applied to digital archives : benefits, limits and prospects
SONAR|HES-SO
- Werthmuller, Neal
- Gaudinat, Arnaud (Degree supervisor)
- Genève : Haute école de gestion Genève
86 p.
Bachelor of Science HES-SO en Information Science: Haute école de gestion Genève, 2025
English
This thesis examines the potential and limitations of blockchain technology applied to digital archives and related repositories, with the aim of responding to contemporary issues linked to the preservation of authenticity, integrity and long-term trust of digital archives. After contextualizing the challenges faced by archival institutions in a digital environment and presenting the methodology employed, the research establishes a theoretical framework by exploring key archival concepts and long-term preservation standards, then detailing the fundamental mechanisms of blockchain.
The state of the art analyzes the suitability of blockchain for archival models such as the record lifecycle and continuum, while identifying three main technical approaches: hash anchoring, direct on-chain storage and tokenization of digital assets. This review is illustrated by the study of experimental projects initiated by archival institutions, single researchers and research group projects.
Several semi-structured interviews were conducted with archival professionals and revealed an interest in blockchain's capabilities to enhance transparency in archival process as ensuring the authenticity of digital archives over the long term, but also highlights major concerns related to governance, technical complexity, costs and lack of specialized skills in institutions.
The analysis continues with an assessment of the pros and cons of different approaches for archives, whether anchoring for integrity verification, smart contracts to automate processes, tokenization for new fundings models, or on-chain storage for extreme cases. These results are enriched by a comparative study of blockchain applications in other sectors, such as museums or healthcare, to identify transferable practices and innovations likely to inspire the archival field.
This thesis highlights that, while blockchain can provide a complementary layer of trust to enhance the transparency and authenticity of digital archives, it does not meet long-term preservation requirements on its own. It recommends integrating blockchain into hybrid systems, while encouraging further research into associated technologies such as zero-knowledge-proofs, homomorphic encryption, decentralized on-chain storage and exploring new funding possibilities, as well as developing computation skills of future archivists.
The state of the art analyzes the suitability of blockchain for archival models such as the record lifecycle and continuum, while identifying three main technical approaches: hash anchoring, direct on-chain storage and tokenization of digital assets. This review is illustrated by the study of experimental projects initiated by archival institutions, single researchers and research group projects.
Several semi-structured interviews were conducted with archival professionals and revealed an interest in blockchain's capabilities to enhance transparency in archival process as ensuring the authenticity of digital archives over the long term, but also highlights major concerns related to governance, technical complexity, costs and lack of specialized skills in institutions.
The analysis continues with an assessment of the pros and cons of different approaches for archives, whether anchoring for integrity verification, smart contracts to automate processes, tokenization for new fundings models, or on-chain storage for extreme cases. These results are enriched by a comparative study of blockchain applications in other sectors, such as museums or healthcare, to identify transferable practices and innovations likely to inspire the archival field.
This thesis highlights that, while blockchain can provide a complementary layer of trust to enhance the transparency and authenticity of digital archives, it does not meet long-term preservation requirements on its own. It recommends integrating blockchain into hybrid systems, while encouraging further research into associated technologies such as zero-knowledge-proofs, homomorphic encryption, decentralized on-chain storage and exploring new funding possibilities, as well as developing computation skills of future archivists.
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Information, communication and media sciences
- Notes
-
- Haute école de gestion Genève
- Information documentaire
- hesso : hegge
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.rero.ch/global/documents/333098
Statistics
Document views: 87
File downloads:
- WERTHMULLER_Neal_TB_2025.pdf: 293