Ethics

For my extension history research, I need some books which are somewhat off the beaten track. Generally because they're in French.

Luckily, my mother, as an academic at the University of Sydney, has access to the University of Sydney libraries. Which are big.

Fisher alone is HUUUUUUUGE.

Unfortunately, some of the books and articles I need are so far off the beaten track that not even Fisher in its magnitude has it.

This is when the joys of inter-library loans becomes evident.

All I need to do is fill out a form online (whilst pretending to be my mother because I'm using her card) which means I can request any book in existence, and they'll probably be able to locate it. At which point I turn up to Fisher library and pick it up.

This means I can get an obscure book generally available only in France, and thus read it and use it as a source.

I had just requested numerous books and an article from TIME magazine when I received a call from Fisher (I was using my mum's office while she took my younger sister to the dentist and orthodontist). In this call, the librarian enquired as to the language of one of the books I was requesting.

I than lied through my teeth in order to get the librarian to believe that I was requesting the books at the request of my mother, because otherwise I would be misappropriating University resources, and that would be unethical. It would also be unethical for him to allow it, which would thoroughly derail my research.

I am amazed by the level to which I can justify my own lack of ethics.

I'd be well suited for politics. Or public relations...