ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines the interrelationship and interplay of state, citizens, and digital records’ documentary form in the context of open government initiatives, open access aspirations, and requirements for long term preservation of trusted digital resources in the networked environment. It examines the role of records managers and archivists in an open government environment and claiming that the challenges of maintaining trusted digital records having evidentiary value should not be theirs alone, but those of an interdisciplinary team of professionals. The book then proposes a model of blockchain-supported long term preservation of digitally signed records. The TrustChain model for signing certificates’ validity information preservation shows that digitally signed records may be used as if the signatures are still valid even after their validity has expired. This shows how digital preservation systems can seamlessly integrate the so called “disruptive technologies” and benefit in the process.
