In the field of digital cultural heritage, digital libraries have played the role of preserving and sharing cultural material in digital format. These tools (portals, collections and archives) have...Show moreIn the field of digital cultural heritage, digital libraries have played the role of preserving and sharing cultural material in digital format. These tools (portals, collections and archives) have been influenced by the evolution of the digital medium and by new technologies which, over the years, have been provided both by the areas defined as neighbours and by conceptually distant environments. The birth of the web has played a fundamental role in today's concept of digital library, in fact this tool has allowed us to increase the scope of these collections and greatly improve their functions. In this sense it is possible to observe how digital libraries have evolved together with the web and how they have always exploited the technologies offered by cyberspace. This improves the possibilities offered to specialists in the sector and those who rely on these collections, their study, or simply to increase their cultural baggage. These collections however are affected by numerous problems that undermine not only the possibilities offered to users and specialists but also their main functions of sharing and protection. Over the last few years, several specialists and academics have focused their attention on the analysis of these solutions. Nevertheless, many possible solutions have been offered in the past and today. This area suffers from various problems that undermine the operations connected to these collections. The objective of this paper is to analyse the evolution of digital libraries in order to offer an analysis of the aforementioned problems and, as a consequence, to suggest a possible solution. Exploiting the new technologies offered by the digital medium is able to resolve, or at least curb, the weaknesses that grip this area. Through the proposal of an ecosystem for digital libraries of cultural heritage and digital cultural heritage initiatives based on the joint use of IPFS and the Ripple ledger, this work aims to offer a solution able to overcome the critical issues analysed during this study. Yet the proposed ecosystem should not be understood in any way as a conclusive point on the question but the main objective is to offer ideas. On these elements, we may build a debate on the potential of these technologies and their possible application within the field of digital libraries.Show less
