TDR Section 4 focuses on digital object management within a trustworthy digital repository, covering the processes of ingest, preservation, and access. It outlines the repository’s responsibility to identify and document the content information, preservation objectives, and transformational properties of the digital objects it preserves. This includes defining the Submission Information Packages (SIPs) received from depositors, verifying their completeness and correctness, ensuring proper documentation, and transforming them into Archival Information Packages (AIPs). The repository must maintain control over the digital objects, confirm the identity of producers, and provide progress updates to depositors throughout the ingest process. Thorough documentation and contemporaneous records of actions and decisions are essential for accountability and traceability.

The section further emphasizes preservation planning, requiring the repository to have strategies for maintaining digital content’s usability and integrity over time. This includes monitoring technological changes, ensuring appropriate representation information, and updating preservation plans as needed. Preservation Description Information (PDI), including provenance, fixity, and context, must be persistently associated with digital objects. Additionally, access management ensures that users can discover and retrieve authentic, traceable digital objects while respecting access policies and rights. The repository must log access anomalies, address user-reported issues, and maintain the chain of authenticity from SIP to AIP to Dissemination Information Package (DIP), ensuring the long-term trustworthiness of its digital holdings.