THE REGIONAL LIBRARY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH AS AN EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL, AND PUBLIC MEMORY INSTITUTION

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the formation, historical development, and cultural role of the M. Gorky Regional Library of Nagorno-Karabakh as an educational, social, and culturalscientific institution. It is noted that during the 1920s-1980s, the library functioned as one of the key centers of cultural life in Artsakh, where the processes of reading, knowledge dissemination, bibliographic activity, and the preservation of national identity were closely intertwined. The study examines the library’s main directions of activity as a bearer of public memory and a hub of cultural communication, emphasizing its contribution to the formation of the educational environment, the  dissemination of scientific thought, and the maintenance of national self-awareness. The model of preserving and transmitting the local cultural-scientific heritage established by the library may serve as an example for the future, particularly in the context of the collective return of the people of Artsakh and the realization of their right to self-determination.