Blockchain Is Already Here. What Does That Mean for Records Management and Archives?

Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of blockchain or distributed ledger technology for archivists and records managers. While in the nascent stage, records are already being created or managed by blockchains. Therefore, it is necessary for archivists and records managers to become familiar with the basics of the technology, along with its benefits and shortcomings, in order to make informed decisions regarding the accessioning of blockchain systems and/or their use in managing record authenticity.

Keywords:

• blockchain
• distributed ledger technology
• records management

Notes

1 Darryn Pollock. “Forget Cryptocurrencies: How can financial institutions make use of blockchain?” Forbes, March 7, 2019.

2 “Blockchain White Paper,” (National Archives and Records Administration, 2019); Dylan Yaga, Peter Mell, Nik Roby, and Karen Scarfone, “Blockchain Technology Overview,” (NISTIR 8202, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2018).

3 Linda Xie. “A beginner’s guide to Ethereum,” The Coinbase Blog, February 23, 2017, https://blog.coinbase.com/a-beginners-guide-to-ethereum-46dd486ceecf. (accessed May 11, 2019).

4 “SIMBA Chain,” SIMBA Chain, Simba Chain Inc., accessed May 11, 2019, https://simbachain.com/.

5 Richard Kastelein. “Amazon Managed Blockchain Launched – AT&T, Nestlé, and Singapore Exchange Limited Onboard.” Blockchain News, 2019, https://www.the-blockchain.com/2019/05/06/amazon-managed-blockchain-launched-att-nestle-and-singapore-exchange-limited-onboard/.

6 Victoria L. Lemieux. “Blockchain Technology for Recordkeeping: Help or Hype?” (Volume 1: Report, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CAN, 2016); Blockchain enabling. Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12. § 1913. 2016. Justia Legal Resources (accessed May 28, 2019).

7 Udit Prasanna Mukherji and Suman Chakraborti. “A 1st in Bengal, baby gets blockchained birth certificate.” Times of India, December 20, 2018, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/a-1st-in-bengal-baby-gets-blockchained-birth-certificate/articleshow/67170551.cms; “Some Nevada governments using blockchain for public records.” AP News, January 6, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/8eb100aa9ce9418b9ad34473e732c1e3; Oscar Williams-Grut. “Estonia is using the technology behind bitcoin to secure 1 million health records.” Business Insider, March 3, 2016, https://www.businessinsider.com/guardtime-estonian-health-records-industrial-blockchain-bitcoin-2016-3; Sy Mukherjee. “Walmart Just Scored a Patent for a Blockchain-Based Health Care Records System.” Fortune, June 22, 2018, https://fortune.com/2018/06/22/walmart-blockchain-patent-health-records/; Dan Bindman. “Land Registry successfully transfers house using blockchain.” Legal Futures, April 12, 2019, https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/land-registry-successfully-transfers-house-using-blockchain; Leo Jakobson. “MIT leads coalition putting academic credentials on blockchain.” Modern Consensus, April 24, 2019, https://modernconsensus.com/uncategorized/mit-universities-academic-credentials-blockchain/.

8 Mark Stuart Day. “The Shutdown Problem: How Does a Blockchain System End?” arXiv, 2019, arXiv:1902.07254.

9 Lemieux, “Recordkeeping,” 17-18.

10 Stefan Nicola. “Using Blockchains to Help Fight Conflict Minerals.” Bloomberg Businessweek, April 24, 2019, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-24/using-blockchain-to-help-fight-conflict-minerals; Lana Bandoim, “Can Blockchain and Chip Technology Improve Beef Sourcing Transparency?” Forbes, April 30, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2019/04/30/can-blockchain-and-chip-technology-improve-beef-sourcing-transparency/#757460132846.

11 John Collomisse, Tu Bui, Alan Brown, John Sheridan, Alex Green, Mark Bell, Jamie Fawcett, Jez Higgins, and Oliver Thereaux. “ARCHANGEL: Trusted Archives of Digital Public Documents,” arXiv, 2018, arXiv:1804.08342.

12 Norman Weekes. “Why Black Folks Should Like Bitcoin and Love Blockchain,” Blacks in Bitcoin, December 30, 2017, http://www.blacksinbitcoin.com/2017/12/guest-opinion-why-black-folk-should.html (accessed May 15, 2019).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sharmila Bhatia

Sharmila Bhatia joined NARA in 2001 and is currently an electronic records format specialist in the Office of the Chief Records Officer with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). She researches digital formats and emerging technologies and the implications for records management and archives. Previously she was an archivist with the Electronic Records Division, also at NARA. She has experience in working with electronic records in a variety of formats and of multi-stages in the lifecycle: transfer, processing, accessioning, preservation, and description. She began her archival career as a reference archivist with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. She has MA/MLIS degrees from the University of South Carolina and a BA in history from the University of Maryland.

A. D. Wright de Hernandez

Anthony D. Wright de Hernandez is the Community Collections Archivist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA where he works primarily with materials related to historically marginalized groups. He worked previously with corporate records management and database administration before moving into academic archives work. He has an interest in digital preservation and recordkeeping, particularly as they relate to preserving the history of historically marginalized communities. This interest has led him to explore the ways that these communities are represented in archival description and how emerging technologies, including blockchain, might benefit these communities in the future. He holds an MLIS from the University of Washington iSchool and a BA in Community Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.