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The Swedish poet Stagnelius claimed that the two forces which govern our lives are desire and constraint. Similar forces are part of the archivists' dilemma as they strive to secure for posterity the most comprehensive and correct body of knowledge possible without drowning the researchers in information. The total number of documents steadily increases, while their volume is contained through the use of modern storage methods. We must select which documents to preserve - and accept that the rest will be destroyed. Appraisal of records and archives is a controversial matter. In the process we decide what knowledge and experience will be available to future generations. The right ofaccess to public records, as well as the needs of the researchers, demand preservation. In principle, all archives should be preserved. Therefore, our strategy is one of preservation: destruction of any document must be justified and the strategy for preservation contain guidelines for destruction. This paper addresses both elements, preservation and destruction. The appraisal of public records is regulated by law. Government records can be destroyed according to resolutions or rules issued by the National Archives after consultation with the agency that created the records and other interested parties. The National Archives provides general guidelines for local government agencies in cooperation with the federations of municipalities and county councils. The municipalities themselves decide how the guidelines are to be applied in their agencies. Regulations do not apply to the private sector, but the principles for preservation and destruction are of equal importance in the private sector as in the public one. The strategy for appraisal presented here is given in general terms. It has evolved from the efforts of many archivists but the present version is mainly the work of Bertil Johansson. Its purpose is to focus the attention of archivists on one of the central issues pertaining to our future.