search

Search the National Library's catalog - books, newspapers, journals, photos, maps, music, manuscripts, radio/TV and more, both physical and digitized. Digitized text (OCR) is matched too by default, so a query can surface newspaper or book pages that mention a term even when it's not in the title.

Signature: search(q: string, required; media_type: string, optional, default None; language: string, optional, default None; county: string, optional, default None; year_from: integer, optional, default None; year_to: integer, optional, default None; digital_only: yes/no, optional, default False; sort: string, optional, default None; page: integer, optional, default 0; size: integer, optional, default 10; limit: integer, items, optional, default 25; offset: integer, items, optional, default 0)

Direct GET

For navigating agents: open the HTML page with parameters in the URL. The result is fetched and displayed without screenshots or form filling.

Open this validated HTML GET URL

https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search/?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0

Replace {q}, {media_type}, {language}, {county}, {year_from}, {year_to}, {digital_only}, {sort}, {page}, {size} with values. Remove unused optional parameters from the URL.

For software and dashboards: Read the operation descriptor. The JSON GET template is https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0. Open this exact request as JSON.

Parameter	Requirement	JSON type	Description
`q`	required	string	Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
`media_type`	optional	union	Restrict to one type, e.g. aviser (newspapers), bøker (books), tidsskrift (journals), bilder (photos), musikk, kart (maps), film, plakater (posters), noter (sheet music), radio, fjernsyn. See get_aggregations(q="*", group_by="mediatype") for the full list with counts.
`language`	optional	union	Language filter - values are inconsistent in the catalog (mixes codes like "nob" and labels like "Norsk bokmål"); check get_aggregations(q=q, group_by="languages") first if unsure.
`county`	optional	union	Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
`year_from`	optional	union	Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
`year_to`	optional	union	Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
`digital_only`	optional	boolean	Only items that have been digitized.
`sort`	optional	union	One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
`page`	optional	integer	Zero-based page index.
`size`	optional	integer	Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
`limit`	optional	integer	Gateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
`offset`	optional	integer	Number of list items to skip; default 0.

Generated JavaScript, Python and response structure

Use JSON when the user requests code, machine-readable data, value extraction or further computation. Use the HTML GET page to identify the correct source and verify parameters.

Example for generated JavaScript and Python

https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0

Replace URL placeholders and remove unused optional parameters.

JavaScript in a dashboard

const url = "https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) {
  const failure = await response.json();
  throw new Error(`${failure.error.code}: ${failure.error.message} ${failure.suggestion}`);
}
const result = await response.json();
const data = result.data;

Python without additional packages

import json
from urllib.request import urlopen

url = "https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0"
with urlopen(url) as response:
    result = json.load(response)
data = result["data"]

Response structure

{
  "source": "nasjonalbiblioteket",
  "operation": "search",
  "parameters": {},
  "data": {},
  "entities": [],
  "_meta": {"retrieved_at": "...", "sources": [], "cache": {}},
  "_links": {"self": "...", "source": "...", "wiki": "...", "feedback": "..."}
}

Form for manual use

The form is a fallback for people and browser agents that cannot open the GET URL directly.

q (required) Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.

media_type Type: string. Restrict to one type, e.g. aviser (newspapers), bøker (books), tidsskrift (journals), bilder (photos), musikk, kart (maps), film, plakater (posters), noter (sheet music), radio, fjernsyn. See get_aggregations(q="*", group_by="mediatype") for the full list with counts.

language Type: string. Language filter - values are inconsistent in the catalog (mixes codes like "nob" and labels like "Norsk bokmål"); check get_aggregations(q=q, group_by="languages") first if unsure.

county Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".

year_from Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).

year_to Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).

digital_only Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.

sort Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).

page Type: integer. Zero-based page index.

size Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-10-15T19:22:48Z in 0.371 seconds.

total:

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
4567e6e204e2c9d3f2039eb48a61f118
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_aftenposten_null_null_19750905_116_408_1
title:
Aftenposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19750905
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Oslo
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_aftenposten_null_null_19750905_116_408_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4567e6e204e2c9d3f2039eb48a61f118
id:
a1e258bac23a95b5bd6b2ba8795584e0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_bomlonytt_null_null_20220831_50_69_1
title:
Bømlo-nytt
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20220831
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_bomlonytt_null_null_20220831_50_69_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a1e258bac23a95b5bd6b2ba8795584e0
id:
0d8aca788ef92eadfb50da58446f1184
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_soerlandsketidende_null_null_19680124_137_20_1
title:
Sørlandske Tidende
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19680124
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Agder
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_soerlandsketidende_null_null_19680124_137_20_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0d8aca788ef92eadfb50da58446f1184
id:
3a3fc52aaced89525cd444f9d3c87377
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tromso_null_null_19680127_71_23_1
title:
Tromsø
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19680127
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Troms
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tromso_null_null_19680127_71_23_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3a3fc52aaced89525cd444f9d3c87377
id:
8b13cc24a94a87eed3082e95563a0845
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_skiensdagblad_null_null_19680129_12_24_1
title:
Skiens Dagblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19680129
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Telemark
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_skiensdagblad_null_null_19680129_12_24_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8b13cc24a94a87eed3082e95563a0845
id:
844883c3abea6589d27fa4b29b3e2503
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_stiftstidende_null_null_19680127_122_23_1
title:
Stiftstidende
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19680127
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Innlandet
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_stiftstidende_null_null_19680127_122_23_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/844883c3abea6589d27fa4b29b3e2503
id:
8c9adf1c2acdc9e360aa8bc4787f76d7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_glaamdalen_null_null_19680203_43_29_1
title:
Glåmdalen (Kongsvinger: 1943-)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19680203
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Innlandet
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_glaamdalen_null_null_19680203_43_29_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8c9adf1c2acdc9e360aa8bc4787f76d7
id:
421ccc1cc5d589c706a4395ffe8c31d1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gudbrandsdolendagnin_null_null_20070106_170_5_1
title:
Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20070106
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Innlandet
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gudbrandsdolendagnin_null_null_20070106_170_5_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/421ccc1cc5d589c706a4395ffe8c31d1
id:
149d7c3e76c6db458dfbad5d028c9338
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_ranablad_null_null_20070414_105_85_1
title:
Rana Blad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20070414
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Nordland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_ranablad_null_null_20070414_105_85_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/149d7c3e76c6db458dfbad5d028c9338
id:
a87af024d5764fa9d6eff5a68f3657bd
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013042307016
title:
Norsk-portugisisk ordbok
creators:
1 results
1. Nilsson, Kåre
year:
1979
publisher:
Universitetsforlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. por
2. nob
3. mul
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013042307016_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a87af024d5764fa9d6eff5a68f3657bd

limit:

offset:

returned:

has_more_results:

Will you use the result in generated code?

Open the same result as JSON

Is data missing or incorrect? Send feedback about this result.

Continue exploring

How an AI agent should use this page

Ground rule: Navigate with HTML GET links to keep explanations and relationships. Use the page's JSON alternative only when concrete values must be extracted, compared or computed.

How to use the search lookup

Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
Follow linked results to canonical pages before combining sources.

Misreading to avoid: An empty list means "no results for this lookup". An error message or unavailable source does not mean the data does not exist.

Source-specific next step

Go to the source page for other operations. Use the JSON template only after the HTML result shows that the parameters and source are correct.

AI agent? Read the complete navigation and programming guide.