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 2026-09-23T10:10:05Z in 0.198 seconds.

total:

1826

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
3e027d77f46dd4b6202ec19c7bee33e9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015022324004
title:
Travels in various countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Pt. 3 Vol. 9. Pt. 3 Vol. 9 : Scandinavia
creators:
1 results
1. Clarke, Edward Daniel
year:
1824
publisher:
T. Cadell and W. Davies
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015022324004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3e027d77f46dd4b6202ec19c7bee33e9
id:
90d0b2951740ec9333357c842167e5fe
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_007
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 6
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/90d0b2951740ec9333357c842167e5fe
id:
c694843741b18c4631a3b134bf9360ef
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_005
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 4B
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c694843741b18c4631a3b134bf9360ef
id:
f396cd65bcbba2f698d9d09e6d5a7765
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009031900075
title:
Brennpunkt Bergen
creators:
3 results
1. Lillefosse, Vivi-Ann
2. Vestlandske kunstindustrimuseum
3. Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen
year:
2002
publisher:
Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_2009031900075_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f396cd65bcbba2f698d9d09e6d5a7765
id:
73ef7665af91310f210bb52193ab984e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_002
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 2
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/73ef7665af91310f210bb52193ab984e
id:
e41626a90783fa90b1302a9006ed118f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_003
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 3
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e41626a90783fa90b1302a9006ed118f
id:
1aef1aaa46430b00ad76fa28b2bb7312
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_009
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 8
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_009_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1aef1aaa46430b00ad76fa28b2bb7312
id:
c6d19ffaf290f8ade2afe62177f621ae
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062080026_010
title:
PC world Norge. Tema. 2000 Nr. 9
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines Norge
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_2022062080026_010_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c6d19ffaf290f8ade2afe62177f621ae
id:
c97f829b6832fb2e144578ce946c0f88
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025050780029_003
title:
Skiheisen : organ for Alpinanleggenes landsforening. 2017 Vol. 33 100
creators:
3 results
1. Norske skiheisers forening
2. Alpinanleggenes landsforening
3. Norske alpinanlegg og fjelldestinasjoner
year:
2017
publisher:
Alpinanleggenes landsforening
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_2025050780029_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c97f829b6832fb2e144578ce946c0f88
id:
604c8f692b10d1a1b3c0bf9512af020e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digiprogramrapport_10024414
title:
[NRK P1 1988.05.27 : programrapport]
creators:
2 results
1. Norsk rikskringkasting
2. Norsk rikskringkasting. P1
year:
not reported by source
publisher:
Norsk rikskringkasting
media_types:
1 results
1. programrapporter
languages:
No results.
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_digiprogramrapport_10024414_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/604c8f692b10d1a1b3c0bf9512af020e

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.