Nelson, Laralee

Laralee Nelson was born June 10, 1953 and was raised in Provo, Utah with her fourth sisters in a Mormon household. Her parents worked at Brigham Young University (BYU) and she attended the university. She was nearly 30 years old when she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983 with her husband. This move was her first real move from her Utah home base. She spent summers at an archeological dig in Israel while studying for her undergraduate degree, but these were nothing compared to relocating to Las Vegas.

Nelson applied for a cataloging position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). From 1982 to 2010, it was her first and only position. From that span of years, she witnessed monumental changes in the library such as changes in leadership, a move from the old Dickinson Library to the new Lied Library, and the impact of the technology on the campus.