Study as a way to freshen my outlook

I have noticed work becomming a bit ho hum of late and decided I needed to do something to push me beyond the daily grind and to start thinking again. Not that I ever stop thinking but with out focus said thinking turns into endless ruminations about 'what if' I undertook the Copyright online course through LIANZA and found it interesting and I did learn a few things so when the opportunity came up to do the Research module online, I jumped at it. So far it has been straight forward but I now have to think up a project and focus on the ethical ramifications of it. I'm thinking about the way reference material is displayed In one of the Branch Libraries. It is shelved in with the regular non-fiction. As a small library with very little shelf space, the reference material occupies most of it in places. What are the ethical considerations when designing a survey to ask customers if they want it to stay this way, or indeed, if we need a reference collection in Branch Libraries.... I will have to sleep on this as nothing immediately springs to mind. Might go back and read more on 'Ethical Guidelines for Observational Studies: Observational research, audits and related activities, Revised edition' 2012.

Well this is a sad state of affairs......no posts for months.  I think about lots of things but it all seems a bit overwhelming really.  Lately I've been thinking about what are the odds of work still being here in for libraries and in general in the next ten years.  Have been reading lots about alternatives to Branch Libraries, funding cuts and Branch library closures around the world not to mention the high Kiwi dollar and the loss of many many jobs in various industries in only the first two months of the year.  What I wonder is were we too complacent in thinking we survived the recession and financial crisises which afflicted European countries.  Are we just slower at going down the same path and taking a slightly more convoluted route? Is that even the the question I should be asking?   The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy comes to mind.......42