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.

ParameterRequirementJSON typeDescription
qrequiredstringFree-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
media_typeoptionalunionRestrict 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.
languageoptionalunionLanguage 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.
countyoptionalunionNorwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
year_fromoptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
year_tooptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
digital_onlyoptionalbooleanOnly items that have been digitized.
sortoptionalunionOne of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
pageoptionalintegerZero-based page index.
sizeoptionalintegerResults per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
limitoptionalintegerGateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
offsetoptionalintegerNumber 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.

Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
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.
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.
Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.
Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
Type: integer. Zero-based page index.
Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-09-25T02:28:53Z in 0.341 seconds.

total:
1330
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    4c8e3521866c58a0915e096142ae25e4
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024111480006_001
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2009 Vol. 21 Nr. 1b
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2009
    publisher:
    Sport media
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024111480006_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/4c8e3521866c58a0915e096142ae25e4
  2. id:
    14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024071980003_007
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2007 Vol. 19 Nr. 5b
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2007
    publisher:
    Sport media
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024071980003_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
  3. id:
    ddda8fd39311b54f115d543ce38cab83
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_d1cdc122-30f8-489b-ada8-a9150ac26288
    title:
    Årsrapport. 2021
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Nye veier AS
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Nye veier AS
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_plikttidsskrift_d1cdc122-30f8-489b-ada8-a9150ac26288_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ddda8fd39311b54f115d543ce38cab83
  4. id:
    30022eda0cd53f8707aff10b966b0aa8
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020101207575
    title:
    Tyskerungen : mine 10 liv
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Skage, Ernst R.
    year:
    2015
    publisher:
    Licentia forl.
    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_2020101207575_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/30022eda0cd53f8707aff10b966b0aa8
  5. id:
    d3b4731c6af92512b31de12de97222a7
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024061983012_001
    title:
    Ferrytales : - på vei til resten av Norge : et ombordmagasin fra Bastø Fosen. 2024 Nr. 1
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Bastø - Fosen AS
    year:
    2024
    publisher:
    Bastø Fosen
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024061983012_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/d3b4731c6af92512b31de12de97222a7
  6. id:
    164a9e381bd592ed342b30943a5ae416
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025021483046_001
    title:
    Ferrytales : - på vei til resten av Norge : et ombordmagasin fra Bastø Fosen. 2024 Nr. 4
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Bastø - Fosen AS
    year:
    2024
    publisher:
    Bastø Fosen
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2025021483046_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/164a9e381bd592ed342b30943a5ae416
  7. id:
    4b354be9d4e4a13aee4cc3e86e5452d3
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024102983035_001
    title:
    Ferrytales : - på vei til resten av Norge : et ombordmagasin fra Bastø Fosen. 2024 Nr. 2
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Bastø - Fosen AS
    year:
    2024
    publisher:
    Bastø Fosen
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024102983035_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/4b354be9d4e4a13aee4cc3e86e5452d3
  8. id:
    14b41ae0b40f340aefb8cfe188642760
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024111583036_001
    title:
    Ferrytales : - på vei til resten av Norge : et ombordmagasin fra Bastø Fosen. 2024 Nr. 3
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Bastø - Fosen AS
    year:
    2024
    publisher:
    Bastø Fosen
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024111583036_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/14b41ae0b40f340aefb8cfe188642760
  9. id:
    6a1f9595cb99408e3a5b44aeecfc873f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2018052281024_001
    title:
    TV-guiden programbladet. 2011 Vol. 65 Nr. 10
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2011
    publisher:
    Programbladet
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2018052281024_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/6a1f9595cb99408e3a5b44aeecfc873f
  10. id:
    057645cc5f66fc53d3eb92ecc53ddc88
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024042480079_010
    title:
    Ennå er det håp! : informasjon fra Stiftelsen pinsevennenes evangeliesenter. 2008 Vol. 25 Nr. 10
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Evangeliesenteret (stiftelse)
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Evangeliesenteret
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024042480079_010_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/057645cc5f66fc53d3eb92ecc53ddc88
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
Will you use the result in generated code?

Open the same result as JSON

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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

  1. Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
  2. Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
  3. 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.