Long before Robert Langdon cracked Da Vinci's code, decades before schoolgirl sleuth Nancy Drew unraveled any secrets and years previous to Sherlock Holmes' realization of just how elementary it all was, the mystery of family history was in the making. However, for armchair genealogy sleuths, the Milwaukee Public Library has a wealth of resources to research this trend.

"I always think of genealogy as the great detective story," said Barbara Gregory, a librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library who specializes in genealogy and biography.

Gregory spends most of her time at the library in the Frank P. Zeidler Humanities Room. Although it's not as flashy as the Children's Section or as warm and cozy as the Reading Room, the Humanities Room, located on the library's second floor, offers a wealth of information on a variety of topics. But according to Gregory, most of the research done there relates to genealogy or tracing a family's history over time.

"In terms of family history, especially in the U.S., (genealogical research) helps us have an identity and a sense of where we come from," said Kathleen Foley Winkler, an adjunct anthropology professor at Marquette. "It can lend a sense of legitimacy."

Genealogical findings can be used to make claims about ancestry and form health histories.

While genealogy is a very old practice, Gregory said that its popularity increased after the publication of Alex Haley's book "Roots" in 1976.

"Everyone likes to have an idea of where they come from," she said. "For many it's very comforting and exciting."

The room offers a plethora of information aiding in genealogical research, Gregory said. It houses vital records, census materials, catalogs, basic reference research materials and information on areas in and around Wisconsin, as well as other countries many immigrants called home before coming to the United States. And with the library's monthly courses sponsored by the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society, amateur researchers don't have to be one of the Hardy boys to find out where their family comes from.

"We're pretty in-depth with a lot of research," Gregory said. But "we are not a genealogy library. We are a library with genealogy material."

Although the Humanities Room holds one of the largest genealogical research collections in the state, the room cannot always help people solve all of history's mysteries. According to librarian Carolyn Colwell, it is difficult to find detailed information that does not pertain to Wisconsin.

When the room didn't hold the answers Robert Baker, visiting assistant professor of history, was looking for in researching his book, he said the librarians were very quick to help him find other resources.

In addition to genealogy, the Humanities Room also houses information on religion, philosophy, law, psychology, literature and literary critiques, sociology, language, history, biography and social science.

"It covers a wide spectrum," Gregory said.

In other words, it's all relative.