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 2026-09-28T18:40:29Z in 0.327 seconds.

total:

246902

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
f2111f80ba6157787901abd5cc7a3c2e
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Verdivurdering av Tank Design Tromsø AS
creators:
1 results
1. Stagrum, Mads Bratteng
year:
2011
publisher:
Universitetet i Tromsø
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f2111f80ba6157787901abd5cc7a3c2e
id:
167d46536fca51a0b5e8ed75c00f0035
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024060680001_003
title:
Oslo design fair. september 2021 3
creators:
1 results
1. Oslo design fair
year:
2021
publisher:
Oslo design fair
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_2024060680001_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/167d46536fca51a0b5e8ed75c00f0035
id:
2385c0acabc1db66299865f41b50e18f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022380056_003
title:
Best of Scandinavian news design. 2010
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2010
publisher:
Society for News Design Scandinavia
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
6 results
1. eng
2. dan
3. nob
4. swe
5. mul
6. fin
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_2026022380056_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2385c0acabc1db66299865f41b50e18f
id:
31a3691156462f396a2d5453e98aa972
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022380056_002
title:
Best of Scandinavian news design. 2008
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2008
publisher:
Society for News Design Scandinavia
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
6 results
1. eng
2. dan
3. nob
4. swe
5. mul
6. fin
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_2026022380056_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/31a3691156462f396a2d5453e98aa972
id:
febb38fe316d1d9fca240330a35be1b0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022380056_005
title:
Best of Scandinavian news design. 2012
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2012
publisher:
Society for News Design Scandinavia
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
6 results
1. eng
2. dan
3. nob
4. swe
5. mul
6. fin
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_2026022380056_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/febb38fe316d1d9fca240330a35be1b0
id:
f4f4e42dca678b41c946a6952f28af56
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017040748135
title:
Unitor tank cleaning manual
creators:
1 results
1. Unitor ASA
year:
2006
publisher:
Unitor ASA
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_2017040748135_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f4f4e42dca678b41c946a6952f28af56
id:
82bd4a1599910d061b04cd43b079b8bf
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Norge fotografert fra lufta. Redningsaksjon for Widerøes flyfotoarkiv
creators:
4 results
1. Widerøes Flyveselskap AS
2. Ukjent
3. Nasjonalbiblioteket
4. Tank design
year:
2015
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. plakater
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/82bd4a1599910d061b04cd43b079b8bf
id:
2f872e751c0dc119e17210946cd52daf
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015090906167
title:
Norsk/Norwegian industrial design
creators:
2 results
1. Bøe, Alf
2. Kunstindustrimuseet i Oslo
year:
1963
publisher:
Museet
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_2015090906167_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2f872e751c0dc119e17210946cd52daf
id:
efcafabf023394f6cfc35a58f3a1ed4f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025011783059_001
title:
Design classics. 2023
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2023
publisher:
Bonnier Publications International
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2025011783059_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/efcafabf023394f6cfc35a58f3a1ed4f
id:
766ac4c045b5547444262f4f60e6117b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024040480017_005
title:
Dogamagasinet : om design og arkitektur. 2008 Nr. 4
creators:
3 results
1. Norsk designråd
2. DogA Norsk design- og arkitektursenter
3. Norsk form
year:
2008
publisher:
DogA Norsk design- og arkitektursenter
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. 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_digitidsskrift_2024040480017_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/766ac4c045b5547444262f4f60e6117b

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.