Don't confuse ALA filing rules with NACO normalization rules. If you are trying to compare two author names you should use the NACO normalization rules [1]. If you are trying to sort the headings into order then use the filing rules [2].
We're trying to get a shelf list, and when the call number is "F LAM", we can't just sort by call number -- and when the authors' names may be given as "Lambert, John", "La Marche, Susan", and "Lamarque, Erich Maria", we can't just sort them ASCIIbetically either.
So I guess it's the filing rules I'm really after.
Ben