In this book, ideas and practices on appraisal in Swedish state archives c. 1970–2010 are analysed. What records has been kept, why, and for whom? How has the archival sphere been influenced by overall societal ideas on heritage and memory? The relative importance of legal and institutional frameworks is also analysed, since laws heavily regulate archives in the Swedish public sector. The Swedish Archives Act of 1990 emphasises that the “research interest” has to be accounted for when deciding what to preserve, and it adds that the state archives are part of the “national heritage”. How is this implemented in actual appraisal practises? It is shown that appraisal in Sweden is generally pragmatic and – in a Schellenbergian tradition – rests on a presumption (most often not articulated) that it is possible to foresee the desires of future users.