I agree with Mary and Benjamin that the statement of responsibility is often the only place where the author's name appears in the format that's on the book -- with names transliterated from non-Roman alphabets this is a major problem for readers. See the attached screenshot as an example. But even without language issues, the statement of responsibility often includes a version of that differs from the name authority used in the author field.
And it's true that a large percentage of books just have "by John Smith" in the statement of responsibility and that doesn't add much value, but there are also titles with statements of responsibility that add information and context: "by Lois Little, written in cooperation with the Madison Museum of Music, with an introduction by Harry Smithers, Director of the Museum, an afterword by Henrietta Lute, Curator of Stringed Instruments, and photographs by Jane Camerata."
I agree with Mary and Benjamin that the statement of responsibility is often the only place where the author's name appears in the format that's on the book -- with names transliterated from non-Roman alphabets this is a major problem for readers. See the attached screenshot as an example. But even without language issues, the statement of responsibility often includes a version of that differs from the name authority used in the author field.
And it's true that a large percentage of books just have "by John Smith" in the statement of responsibility and that doesn't add much value, but there are also titles with statements of responsibility that add information and context: "by Lois Little, written in cooperation with the Madison Museum of Music, with an introduction by Harry Smithers, Director of the Museum, an afterword by Henrietta Lute, Curator of Stringed Instruments, and photographs by Jane Camerata."