Relevance of blockchain technology and the management of libraries and archives in the 4IR
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-08-2021-0065 |
| Published date | 15 March 2022 |
| Date | 15 March 2022 |
| Pages | 460-475 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
| Author | Adeyinka Tella,Halimah Odunayo Amuda,Yusuf Ayodeji Ajani |
Relevance of blockchain
technology and the management
of libraries and archives in the 4IR
Adeyinka Tella
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin, Ilorin,
Nigeria and Department of Information Science, University of South Africa,
Pretoria, South Africa
Halimah Odunayo Amuda
The Library, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, and
Yusuf Ayodeji Ajani
Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin,
Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to examine the awareness and perception of the relevance of blockchain technology
in the management of librariesand archives in the fourth industrial revolution in a developing country, Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach –Ten system librarians selected from five different libraries and ten
archivists selected from five different archives in the Southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria represent the
sample for the study.The study adopted a purely qualitative approach where datawas collected through an
open-ended questionnairemailed to the participants to guide against physical contact and maintainedsocial
distancingto observe COVID-19 protocol.
Findings –The results revealthat both the librarians and archivists are aware of blockchain technology,its
adoption and use in libraries and archives. There is a positive perception about blockchain technology
believing that it can assist libraries and archives in storing information in a distributed settings through
gathering, preserving and sharing authoritative information, and supports archivists in creating a unique
verifiable recordthat can be accessed by anyone in archives. Implementation,maintenance cost and difficulty
in sustainabilityare identified as the challenges of blockchain adoption.
Research limitations/implications –This study is limited to one geopolitical zone of Nigeria which
necessitatesthe need for further research on the similarsubject matter in other geopoliticalzones in Nigeria.
Practical implications –The findings of the study have identifiedthe need for librarians and archivists
to increasetheir awareness and develop a positive perception towardblockchain technologies.
Originality/value –To the best of the authors’knowledge, thisstudy is the first to research the relevance
of blockchain technology in Nigerian libraries and archives. This paper reported the benefits libraries and
archives could derivefrom the adoption of blockchain, and how such can improve effectiveservices delivery
to the satisfactionof the users of archives and libraries.
Keywords Libraries, Nigeria, Archives, Fourth industrial revolution, Blockchain technology,
Advanced technologies, Management of libraries
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Advancement in technologies basedon the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has ushered in
numerous technologies such as cloud computing, robotic technology, blockchain, artificial
DLP
38,4
460
Received3 August 2021
Revised27 October 2021
8 January2022
Accepted24 January 2022
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.38 No. 4, 2022
pp. 460-475
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-08-2021-0065
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2059-5816.htm
intelligence, Internet of Things, among others. Technology has revolutionized the way we
work, play and conduct business. It has helped us find new solutions to old problems,
disrupted conventional business models and improved our performance. New technologies
are now supporting this growth. Distributed ledger technology, and its most well-known
implementation, blockchain, is one of these. Blockchain is one of the top ten new
technologies of 2016,according to the World Economic Forum (2016).
Libraries and archives, particularly those in the developed countries, have started
benefiting from the adoption and use of these technologies, particularly blockchain,
compared to their developing countries counterparts, the majority of whom are still
struggling to get their bearing right regarding the adoption or otherwise of
blockchain or any of the technologies. Though some of the libraries and archives in
the developing countries have also keyed into the use and adoption of some of these
technologies particularly blockchain; however, the adoption and use seem to be very
slow.
The blockchain is a new technology that is being used to validate and store transaction
records for online cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Transactions cannot be rescinded,
duplicated or faked since the system is redundant and distributed. Aside from online
currencies, blockchaintechnology has applications in health care, education and a varietyof
other areas, includinglibraries (Hoy and Brigham, 2017).
Melanie Swan in 2015 predicts three stages of blockchain implementation or adoption.
These are Blockchain 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. This author describes Blockchain 1.0 as the online
cryptocurrency stage whichis a typical example of the current Bitcoinsystem. This stage is
currently being witnessed;we are into it already, as exemplified by the thousands of Bitcoin
negotiations and bargainingwhich is taking place daily. The second stage, which the author
refers to as Blockchain 2.0, is in the near future. It extends to circumscribe tracking
contracts, financialrecords, public records and ownership of property in the blockchain.The
examples of Blockchain 2.0 systems include fraud- and error-resistant land ownership
records databases (The Economist, 2015). Swan’s vision for Blockchain 3.0 expands into
science, medicine and education. The author forecasts that the blockchain will move
information that has been hidden and controlled withininstitutions to open and distributed
blockchains (Swan, 2015). These possible uses should be the most interesting or strange to
researchers.
Blockchains operate a type of informational ledger that does not require a centralized
gatekeeping organizationbut could be used to build a truly distributed metadata system for
libraries and related agencies like archives. However, awareness seems to be very low
perhaps based on a lack of understanding of the relevance of the technology to the
management of libraries and archives. Therefore, in a country like Nigeria where some of
these technologies are just emerging and where libraries are preparing to key into the use
and adoption of these technologies, it is important to conduct a study such as this to
determine how aware are the librarians and archivists regarding blockchain, how do they
perceive the technologyin terms of its relevance to library and archives and what challenges
are envisaged regarding the use of the technology. It is on this note that this study seeksto
examine the awareness and perception of the relevance of blockchain technology in the
management of librariesand archives in the 4IR in a developingcountry, Nigeria.
Objectives of the study
The broad objective of the study was to examine the awareness and perception of the
relevance of blockchaintechnology in the management of libraries and archives in the 4IR in
Nigeria. The specific objectivesof the study were to:
Relevance of
blockchain
technology
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