In cataloging, shared responsibility refers to the situation where multiple individuals or organizations have played a significant role in the creation or production of a resource. This can include authors, editors, illustrators, translators, and publishers, among others. When there is shared responsibility for a resource, the bibliographic record for that resource typically includes the names of all individuals and organizations that have played a significant role, along with their respective roles or contributions.
For example, a book may have multiple authors, an editor, a translator, and a publisher. In this case, the bibliographic record will include the names of all these individuals and organizations, and their roles. Similarly, a government document may have been produced by multiple government agencies, so the names of all agencies will be included in the record, along with their respective roles in the production of the document.
Shared responsibility can also refer to the situation where multiple institutions are involved in the care, preservation and access of a resource. These institutions are the custodian and the others that have a shared responsibility of the resource.