The Dutch appraisal system is changing. Instead of concentrating on the appraisal of government records by way of formal analysis of ‘handelingen' (government actions), the new method should be ‘documenting society'. The `historic community' will be permanently involved in providing context information, especially in identifying the social and political developments which should be documented and preserved as historic and or cultural heritage. The current Dutch appraisal system does include archives of private persons and non-governmental organisations, but the main focus has been on governmental archives. The new system will eradicate this difference and will therefore be able to provide a representative picture of the interaction between the government and society. This will entail a more active approach for the acquisition of those records and archives of private parsons. In developing a new approach the challenges are: methods, communication and finances.