Dr. John Van Oosten, the library's namesake, was made Director of the Great Lakes Biological Laboratory, as the GLSC was then known, when it was established in Ann Arbor in 1927. He relinquished this administrative responsibility in 1949 and continued his research in the capacity of senior scientist until his retirement on December 31, 1961. All told, he spent 42 years in service to the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In the course of his career, Dr. Van Oosten established a worldwide reputation as a fisheries scientist. He authored more than 90 scientific papers. Dr. Van Oosten's major interest throughout his long professional career was research on the Great Lakes and their fisheries. His interests also extended into fishery regulation and management. He was consulted regularly by fishery administrators of the Great Lakes states and belonged to numerous scientific and professional organizations. He was made a Distinguished Service Honorary Member by the American Fisheries Society in 1952, and on January 18, 1962, he received the Distinguished Service Citation of the U.S. Department of the Interior, with gold medal.

A lasting tribute to Dr. Van Oosten was established in Ann Arbor through the dedication of the John Van Oosten Research Library in 1966. The library houses his extensive personal collection of reprints, journals, books, reports, and other documents.