“Now behold, all those engravings which were in the possession of Helaman were written and sent forth among the children of men throughout all the land, save it were those parts which had been commanded by Alma should not go forth.”

This verse provides one of the few indications that the records that were recorded by the record keepers were wide spread and read by/to the people. 

It was especially important for the people to understand their history. The Lamanites had their own version of the history which relied on grievances and hatred. So it was vital for the Nephites to have a clear sense of their history and purpose.
In our day we see people embracing revisionist history which makes America the great villain of history. I wonder if something similar happened among the Nephites leading to a steady stream of dissenters. Did the Lamanite effort to promote their own historical narrative work? If so, this explains why it was so important for the people to have the records at this time.