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 2026-09-27T17:58:58Z in 0.197 seconds.

total:

26115

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
b97d83155c68522463a844ffe308756d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011040608118
title:
Attraksjoner i Norge
creators:
4 results
1. Lotsberg, Tore
2. Howath Consulting
3. Østreng, Arne
4. Attraksjoner i Norge (prosjekt)
year:
2002
publisher:
Statens nærings- og distriktsutviklingsfond
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_2011040608118_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b97d83155c68522463a844ffe308756d
id:
c8ec30b1ab6ccab3c3751c0b98591efc
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024042580046_001
title:
Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2008 Vol. 20 Nr. 1b
creators:
2 results
1. Birkebeinerrittet
2. Birkebeinerrennet
year:
2008
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_2024042580046_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c8ec30b1ab6ccab3c3751c0b98591efc
id:
9dd7aa0fd6181d82a73b072221752bd7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021082548589
title:
The Elvis files. Volume eight : 1976-1977
creators:
4 results
1. Lorentzen, Erik
2. Minto, Gordon
3. KJ Consulting
4. Alverson, Keith
year:
2016
publisher:
KJ Consulting
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_2021082548589_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9dd7aa0fd6181d82a73b072221752bd7
id:
560c3b1e18b7ab2780ccde0240908c52
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022012848557
title:
Elvis summer festival : that's the way it was. Volume 2 : The Las Vegas rehearsals & opening night
creators:
4 results
1. Lorentzen, Erik
2. Russel, Keith
3. KJ Consulting
4. Luckenbach, Jerry
year:
2019
publisher:
[KJ Consulting]
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_2022012848557_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/560c3b1e18b7ab2780ccde0240908c52
id:
c6835883c31e00a6b0c66e977a38b2d5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022012848556
title:
Elvis summer festival : that's the way it was. Volume 3 : The concerts
creators:
4 results
1. Lorentzen, Erik
2. Russel, Keith
3. KJ Consulting
4. Luckenbach, Jerry
year:
2019
publisher:
[KJ Consulting]
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_2022012848556_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c6835883c31e00a6b0c66e977a38b2d5
id:
5ac7e2c42faf86fb25b5bb5ddf4e330e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2019052107090
title:
Imperial art as Christian art - Christian art as imperial art : expression and meaning in art and architecture from Constantine to Justinian
creators:
2 results
1. Brandt, J. Rasmus (Johann Rasmus)
2. Steen, Olaf
year:
2002
publisher:
Bardi
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
4 results
1. eng
2. mul
3. fre
4. ita
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_2019052107090_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5ac7e2c42faf86fb25b5bb5ddf4e330e
id:
d6a0fb719708d1f603c4de62d1950249
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024032080028_005
title:
Sustainability report. 2018
creators:
1 results
1. Skretting AS
year:
2018
publisher:
Skretting Norway
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_2024032080028_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d6a0fb719708d1f603c4de62d1950249
id:
b3384de61aa610ed463c92bb717e21ad
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011020106107
title:
A guide to English pronunciation : for users of English as a foreign language
creators:
1 results
1. Lewis, J. Windsor
year:
1969
publisher:
Universitetsforlaget
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_2011020106107_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b3384de61aa610ed463c92bb717e21ad
id:
8e9e3fdbd3f3cf93eac4930503744c0e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2026061606094
title:
Managing nature - business as usual : patterns of wording and patterns of meaning in corporate environmental discourse
creators:
1 results
1. Brown, Mark
year:
2008
publisher:
Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo
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_2026061606094_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8e9e3fdbd3f3cf93eac4930503744c0e
id:
c031c1c8e47cf195a16c71cbc10da81d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016011448188
title:
Fri flyt eventyret
creators:
2 results
1. Bentsen, Børge Elliot
2. Vesterålens naturprodukter AS
year:
2008
publisher:
Vesterålens naturprodukter
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_2016011448188_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c031c1c8e47cf195a16c71cbc10da81d

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.