#2 - I see...yeah, the Researcher's ID is used to activate the elevator on the first floor of the same building; it just allows you to snag some extra loot and a bit of lore. One part of my game design method (which may be good or bad) is that a lot of times I just put things / people / locations in the world to flesh it out, with no clear idea of whether it will ever have lasting relevance to the story...I designed that area fairly early, and it just never really developed into anything after that.
Also, glad you found the sword and shield! There's another similar bit on the first floor of the Goldspire / Sollcasteros area...if you run to the left or right before using the stairs there's a basement level containing the seventh and final tablet (which is fun and all, but makes things really interesting if you have the Broken Sword...)