Purpose This study aims to investigate the essential components needed to develop a practical mobile application for providing library services to its users. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in a descriptive-survey format. The statistical population constituted the libraries worldwide using mobile applications to provide library services to the users of academic and public libraries. The data were collected through the content-analysis method, World Wide Web and checklists. Findings It was found that services such as search, ask a librarian, database, renew, circulation and library hours were frequently used at academic libraries, while the services of search, search through barcode scanners and database were mostly common at public libraries. According to the users of academic and public libraries, circulation and renew, search, ask a librarian and library hours were considered as the most essential services to be included in library mobile applications. Practical implications Most libraries usually use mobile apps subjectively. Thus, it is important to identify the most important components of their usage and present them in a suitable pattern. The findings of this study identified the most important components in the design and development of mobile apps and proposed the right model for their integration into libraries. Originality/value The practical mobile application proposed here for library services is applicable to all types of libraries and provides an appropriate pattern for mobile application designers.