The history of religions in the faculty of arts is descendent from the faculty of theology. The department of history of religion inUppsalagot its first chair in 1948, and the department ceased to exist at 1994 when it devolved to the Faculty of Theology. The archive was incorporated within the archive of the faculty of theology, and contained protocols, directories, essays, and agent arranged remains. About half of the archive consisted of documents which required in-depth assessment. This was where the obvious problems emerged when organizing the records –raising questions about fruitful approach and implications of archival appraisal. The discussion led to insights about the power of archivist in the process, and the crucial meaning of underlying thoughts that govern what information will be available in the archive. The analysis is focusing on what to preserve rather then what to discard, leading to conclusions that advocate awareness of the implications of the process. Documentation of underlying thoughts and consciously made choices facilitates a fruitful process of appraisal.

The text deals with the process of reorganizing and cataloging the archival material emerging from State secondary grammar school in Falun, which appears to have been poorly managed for a number of years. The work was done with consideration to former ways of organizing the material, and a great deal of research was needed in order to establish the outer provenance of the archive.The theoretical discussion goes deeper into the questions of provenance and appraisal in regard to the work,and some choices, especially the decision to reorganize the archive, are motivated with reference to Swedishrules and regulations concerning state authorities' archival management and their duties towards Swedish citizens.