The Use of Blockchain Technology in Archival Management: Toward Secure, Transparent, and Decentralized Records

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines blockchain technologies as instruments to strengthen archival management by providing verifiable authenticity, tamper evidence, and resilient traceability for digital records. It situates blockchain within Oman Vision 2040 and evaluates how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can be piloted and integrated with existing archival infrastructures. Method/Approach: A qualitative case-study approach synthesizes three evidence streams: international pilot project reports such as ARCHANGEL, peer-reviewed literature and technical white papers (2017–2024), and semi-structured expert interviews and institutional readiness analyses from Oman. Thematic analysis examined three domains: integrity & authenticity, transparency & access, and institutional readiness & governance. Results: Blockchain provides a cryptographic chain-of-custody and tamper-evident anchoring model for archival objects by writing content fingerprints to distributed ledgers while storing content off-chain. International pilots show feasibility; however, challenges include governance design, legal recognition, interoperability, cost, and capacity building. Conclusion: Blockchain is a promising augmentation to archival toolkits but is not a substitute for core preservation practices. Recommendations include staged pilots in Oman, a hybrid architecture, standardized hashing and metadata practices, training, and regional consortia for governance and cost distribution.