OAKTrust uses DSpace software, which supports a simple hierarchy structure, composed of Communities and Collections. Communities in OAKTrust may be colleges, departments, research centers, or other groups. Communities contain Collections, and Collections hold digital works.

There are essentially two types of Collections in OAKTrust. One is exclusively for faculty-authored publications. All Texas A&M faculty are automatically authorized to deposit their works in this collection called “Faculty Publications” under the “Faculty Research” community. The second type is a Sponsored Collection. The OAKTrust manager can assist departments and research units in establishing sponsored collections in the appropriate OAKTrust community. The manager can be reached at digital@library.tamu.edu.