Decentralized Blockchain Systems for Managing Digital Archives in Academic Libraries: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in the Era of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the perception and awareness regarding the relevance of adopting blockchain technology for managing digital archives in the context of fifth industrial revolution (5IR). Ten system librarians who were chosen from five distinct academic libraries in Nigeria's Southwest geopolitical zone serve as the study's sample. An open-ended survey was used to gather data for the study, which took a strictly qualitative approach. Based on the findings, system librarians are aware of blockchain technology adoption and its benefits for digital archive management in academic libraries. The adoption of blockchain technology is perceived positively since it can help digital archives collect, preserve, and disseminate authoritative information in a distributed setting. It can also help digital archives create a single, verifiable record that is accessible to all and deserves respect. As such, the adoption of blockchain technology faces a number of hurdles, including challenging installation, scalability, maintenance costs, integration, data protection, governance, user adoption, energy consumption, long-term viability, and legal and ethical issues.