DIGITALIZATION OF RARE RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS AS A TOOL FOR PRESERVING LINGUISTIC HERITAGE AND ADVANCING DISTANCE LEARNING OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARAKALPAKSTAN

Amid the ongoing digital transformation of education and the growing interest in preserving the linguistic and cul-tural diversity of Central Asian regions, the task of converting rare printed publications of value for the study and teaching of the Russian language into digital format has become increasingly relevant. This paper examines the ex-perience and methodology of establishing a digital media library based on the holdings of a regional library as a tool for simultaneously addressing two objectives: the preservation of cultural and historical heritage, and the provision of distance access to educational resources for learners of Russian in remote regions.