These consumers may consist of multiple communities, are designated by the archive, and may change over time.
[1] Organizations determine their designated communities and establish standards and guidelines that create a mutually beneficial relationship.
The term designated community is closely aligned with the concept of Open Archival Information System (OAIS).
The designated community is the reason the OAIS maintains the information it collects.
Canada's York University has a specific definition for its digital preservation designated communities.