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 2026-09-26T10:04:51Z in 0.170 seconds.

total:

183793

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
bdfdb63b3f51e731167fbf88243d8f25
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000040610
title:
Helland in retrospect : ten essays on Ibsen
creators:
5 results
1. Helland, Frode
2. Crosby, John David
3. Dingstad, Ståle
4. D'Amico, Giuliano
5. Rees, Ellen
year:
2024
publisher:
Novus forlag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_pliktmonografi_000040610_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bdfdb63b3f51e731167fbf88243d8f25
id:
ec186c61bf40f0e85bb6f29cd5f7d214
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000002497
title:
Arkitekt Peter Helland-Hansen
creators:
2 results
1. Røyrane, Eva
2. Apneseth, Oddleiv
year:
2021
publisher:
Skald
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_pliktmonografi_000002497_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ec186c61bf40f0e85bb6f29cd5f7d214
id:
cb020ed672d8bfa6a6bb1c21f63229d6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010070506093
title:
The co-operation between Institute of Development Management-IDM (Tanzania) and Agder College (Norway)
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Johan
year:
1999
publisher:
Chr. Michelsen Institute
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
bokhylla
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NORWAY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010070506093_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/cb020ed672d8bfa6a6bb1c21f63229d6
id:
0b079a00645616217de0e469ef32e6b0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000063290
title:
Det sista som ska tystna
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Ola
year:
2025
publisher:
Bokfabrikken
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
2 results
1. swe
2. nob
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_pliktmonografi_000063290_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0b079a00645616217de0e469ef32e6b0
id:
a32f1cbf73225bc0650f394bdc8fec2e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008081200089
title:
Ungdomsskoleelever i Randaberg kommune
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Håvard
year:
1997
publisher:
Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
bokhylla
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NORWAY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008081200089_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a32f1cbf73225bc0650f394bdc8fec2e
id:
163c9adb1f2a53df18589b9c10c85dab
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011020408039
title:
Etnisitet og skoletilpasning : en undersøkelse av norske, pakistanske og konfusianske Osloungdommers skoleprestasjoner
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Håvard
year:
1997
publisher:
Universitetet
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
bokhylla
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NORWAY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011020408039_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/163c9adb1f2a53df18589b9c10c85dab
id:
bec8b73b40f1dfc07b7df6d9434e764b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010072303019
title:
Forebygging av problematferd blant ungdom : en litteraturstudie
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Håvard
year:
1998
publisher:
Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
bokhylla
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NORWAY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010072303019_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bec8b73b40f1dfc07b7df6d9434e764b
id:
94af9e1605f069ba6f72a654b8f5241c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020071448731
title:
Årsak og tilfeldighet : modeller, eksperimenter og adferd i samfunnsvitenskapene
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Leif
year:
2016
publisher:
Cappelen Damm akademisk
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
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_2020071448731_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/94af9e1605f069ba6f72a654b8f5241c
id:
b4311ad554d6c478a429030c324f1e02
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008102800082
title:
Malignancy of the cervix uteri : genetic susceptibility and somatic DNA alterations in tumour in relation to prognosis
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Åslaug
year:
2000
publisher:
Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
bokhylla
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NORWAY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008102800082_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b4311ad554d6c478a429030c324f1e02
id:
719c65e59fb655c9ce4bfd6a669a052a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020052548064
title:
Ibsen in practice : relational readings of performance, cultural encounters and power
creators:
1 results
1. Helland, Frode
year:
2015
publisher:
Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2020052548064_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/719c65e59fb655c9ce4bfd6a669a052a

limit:

offset:

returned:

has_more_results:

yes

truncated:

yes

next_offset:

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.