That being said, in order for preservation to provide access, it must have a good foundation. That foundation is established through a trusted digital repository (TDR) that provides reliable, long-term access to managed digital resources to its designated community, now and into the future (CRL, 2007). More than just a ‘digital preservation system, a TDR must be reliable and trustworthy. With digital information being less tangible and much more mutable than other materials, the concept of trustworthiness may be difficult to grasp. However, three aspects are to be considered to ensure the trustworthiness of a TDR and therefore digital sustainability: the organizational infrastructure, digital object management and the technological infrastructure. 

The organizational infrastructure includes organizational attributes such as the mandate, policy framework, roles and responsibilities and transparency. An organization choosing to become a trusted digital repository must establish itself in ways that demonstrate its viability. This can be done through a mission statement that reflects a commitment to long-term retention, transparent and forthright business practices or even the constant review of its policies and procedures to ensure that appropriate growth occurs. “The digital object management responsibilities of a repository include both some organizational and technical aspects related to these responsibilities, such as repository functions, processes, and procedures needed to ingest, manage, and provide access to digital objects for the long term. Finally, the technological infrastructure of a repository must describe best practices for data management and security” (CRL, 2007). 

 In my current position as a tasking officer for the TDR of Access to Information and Privacy at National Defence Canada, I learned that while these three aspects ensure the trustworthiness of a TDR, another equally important factor is the users of the TDR in question. This is because it’s the users who determine the content that is deposited, how it’s managed and preserved and how it is accessed and disseminated. I found that when they don’t see the TDR as reliable, there is no sense of trust. For example, there have been times when we’ve sent out records that were incomplete or inaccurate because we couldn’t access or find them anymore. When that happens, users feel that they can’t trust the digital content that we as a repository provide and that sense of trust between us and them is broken. As a result of this, I’ve come to realize how important it is to maintain digital sustainability through a reliable TDR.