Multi-part question: /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow and how to load modules with a full path

[Coltrey Mather]

First (and mot importanlty):
    Are there any modules that could be easily incorporated into a
program to get the password for a user from /etc/shadow (e.g.: for user
authentication in a server process) that would check to see if the
password given for the username given is the right combination?


Also, if I want load a module, /home/me/mymodule.py, from a python
program, /usr/local/bin/thisprogram.py, how do I go about doing that?

Thank you.