Exclusive Interview with FakeAACR2

Screenshot of FakeAACR2

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With the reverberation of a couple dozen subfield delimiters echoing through the Twitterverse, @FakeAACR2 announced her presence. “Sorry. Dropped my fat self on the keyboard,” she apologized. A sizable handful of followers quickly accepted her apology, and thus Alexandra Beaton, the University of North Carolina SLIS student masquerading as the phony cataloging standard, created some buzz last week as librarianship’s answer to internet sensation FakeAPStyleBook. We caught up with FakeAACR2 via email for this exclusive interview:

American Libraries: Why Fake AACR2?

FakeAACR2: Catalogers are pimps, too. FakeAPStylebook, FakeMTA, and other Twitter accounts of that nature are so popular, I wanted in on some of that action. Besides, it seems the library Twittersphere enjoys a chuckle, so I’m glad I can provide it.

Those of us who haven’t cracked open the AACR2 since library school are feeling kind of left out here. What makes diacritical marks and single statements of responsibility so funny?

It’s all about bling, name-dropping, and of course, relevant and organized description of materials.

How far do you plan to take this?

As long as rules can be cleverly manipulated, there will be a FakeAACR2. Some days or weeks might not be as prolific, but as long as followers are laughing, FakeAACR2 will be around.

I can’t help but notice your profile pic isn’t too friendly toward RDA. Why the hate?

It’s more of a playful rivalry. In my head, it’s a lot like the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry. That, and the image came about in under a minute during a break in a cataloging class.

RDA has set out to make cataloging more effective for a wider variety of media and in an online environment. What’s your approach?

The AACR2 goes well beyond the realm of cataloging in ways RDA never could. For example, I can hold doors open when your arms are full. I act as a booster seat when a toddler shows up to dinner unannounced. And I’m big enough to actually keep you warm at night. But as far as accommodating more media and online access, I suppose there’s always room for more revisions and updates. I have room to grow—bigger is better.

Is Twitter the new Cataloger’s Desktop?

Definitely! # is the new ‡