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 2026-09-25T05:31:47Z in 0.181 seconds.

total:

2053

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
78178a2ab5fa7a8af87051afd2d56ef3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014061906123
title:
Om mennesker, maskiner og muligheter- : Dias AS jubileumsbok
creators:
1 results
1. Dias AS
year:
2011
publisher:
Dias
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_2014061906123_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/78178a2ab5fa7a8af87051afd2d56ef3
id:
d3b7770f0fa9d1a103b75492142c216a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021110248576
title:
Thorstein Hansen : en reise gjennom 70 år
creators:
2 results
1. Møller, Jan Eric
2. Klinestadmoen eiendomsselskap
year:
2018
publisher:
[Klinestadmoen eiendomsselskap]
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_2021110248576_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d3b7770f0fa9d1a103b75492142c216a
id:
080bba6cd2fd39fe11615f79e860540f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025072280055_002
title:
Elmagasinet (trykt utg.). 2004 Vol. 56 Nr. 2
creators:
2 results
1. NELFOs elinform
2. NELFO
year:
2004
publisher:
NELFO
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_2025072280055_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/080bba6cd2fd39fe11615f79e860540f
id:
69effd4274a02cf2d4076e43f2e03627
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009031704064
title:
Det starta i eit lite bakeri : Aker elektro 50 år : 1946-1996
creators:
2 results
1. Bjørkvik, Jofrid
2. Aker elektro
year:
1995
publisher:
[Aker elektro]
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2009031704064_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/69effd4274a02cf2d4076e43f2e03627
id:
5d37d77a568b64552cfce7df6f017974
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19900907_77_172_1
title:
Porsgrunns Dagblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19900907
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:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19900907_77_172_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5d37d77a568b64552cfce7df6f017974
id:
ec9467e62b58378e315752f3fb7b9c93
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025062680087_008
title:
Næringsmiddelindustrien : Norges ledende fagblad for næringsmiddelteknologi, forskning, nyheter og messer. 1998 Vol. 51 Nr. 9
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1998
publisher:
Skarland press
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. eng
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_digitidsskrift_2025062680087_008_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ec9467e62b58378e315752f3fb7b9c93
id:
4992de1d933affc2f4817d4c8234b7e6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19870803_74_146_1
title:
Porsgrunns Dagblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19870803
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:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19870803_74_146_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4992de1d933affc2f4817d4c8234b7e6
id:
c3ba7f2e888aa4549d2a438319f60681
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025072280051_005
title:
Elmagasinet (trykt utg.). 2008 Vol. 58 Nr. 5
creators:
2 results
1. NELFOs elinform
2. NELFO
year:
2008
publisher:
NELFO
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_2025072280051_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c3ba7f2e888aa4549d2a438319f60681
id:
e79c43e1ef4994f65569ea8e8b68b0b2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19901101_77_211_1
title:
Porsgrunns Dagblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19901101
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:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19901101_77_211_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e79c43e1ef4994f65569ea8e8b68b0b2
id:
9c9e8f08d7eeb0ed49dc2b8480baec09
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025112083189_001
title:
Næringsmiddelindustrien årbok. 2000/2001 Vol. 9 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
Skarland Press
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_2025112083189_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9c9e8f08d7eeb0ed49dc2b8480baec09

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.