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 2026-09-23T20:04:24Z in 0.242 seconds.

total:

1560

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
fdf78a020203de67b849683ead7f8694
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023011683283_001
title:
Gamle dagar i Samnanger : årbok .... 2022
creators:
1 results
1. Samnanger historielag
year:
2022
publisher:
Samnanger historielag
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. 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_2023011683283_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/fdf78a020203de67b849683ead7f8694
id:
4f13f7fd9b6b3e266ed6ea3ef9638bfd
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025122283001_001
title:
Gamle dagar i Samnanger : årbok .... 2024
creators:
1 results
1. Samnanger historielag
year:
2024
publisher:
Samnanger historielag
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. 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_2025122283001_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4f13f7fd9b6b3e266ed6ea3ef9638bfd
id:
9821602dee69f86849b46c907bdff977
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022050680008_001
title:
Gamle dagar i Samnanger : årbok .... 2008
creators:
1 results
1. Samnanger historielag
year:
2008
publisher:
Samnanger historielag
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. 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_2022050680008_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9821602dee69f86849b46c907bdff977
id:
9824694ad06fb2731f26ad0946d9b75c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018031548376
title:
Slektssoge for Samnanger
creators:
2 results
1. Kvale, Svein Egil
2. Samnanger
year:
2008
publisher:
Samnanger kommune
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. 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_digibok_2018031548376_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9824694ad06fb2731f26ad0946d9b75c
id:
867510e9d710535d30d2246d443af32d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015091706034
title:
Samnanger kommune : 1907-2007
creators:
2 results
1. Aadland, Ivar Bård
2. Samnanger
year:
2007
publisher:
Samnanger kommune
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. 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_digibok_2015091706034_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/867510e9d710535d30d2246d443af32d
id:
06b04c6db81d64091f09a9436f321ae6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011081006017
title:
Tilstandsbeskrivelse for Eikedalsvassdraget, Kvam og Samnanger i Hordaland
creators:
2 results
1. Kambestad, Atle
2. Johnsen, Geir Helge
year:
1990
publisher:
Rådgivende biologer, Institutt for miljøforskning
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_2011081006017_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/06b04c6db81d64091f09a9436f321ae6
id:
d25c2e6577595998b180e0759213ef2f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015020308096
title:
Ferskvassbiologiske undersøkingar i Storelva, Frølandselva og Tysseelva, Samnanger 2007
creators:
1 results
1. Kålås, Steinar
year:
2008
publisher:
Rådgivende biologer
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. 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_digibok_2015020308096_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d25c2e6577595998b180e0759213ef2f
id:
a174557fa85792ab994a561122458728
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015052008069
title:
Ferskvassbiologiske undersøkingar i Storelva, Frølandselva og Tysseelva, Samnanger 2008
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2009
publisher:
Rådgivende biologer
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. 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_digibok_2015052008069_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a174557fa85792ab994a561122458728
id:
076c6496c88133f55ced29f0c982fc21
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013120905047
title:
Gamle hus da og nå : status for SEFRAK-registrerte bygninger : Samnanger kommune, Hordaland fylke 2004
creators:
2 results
1. Kulturminnekompaniet
2. Riksantikvaren
year:
2007
publisher:
Riksantikvaren
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_2013120905047_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/076c6496c88133f55ced29f0c982fc21
id:
eb0780946b077204983f26d321651093
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012102308097
title:
Vurdering av isproblem for Quatro Laks as i Samnangerfjorden
creators:
1 results
1. Johnsen, Geir Helge
year:
1997
publisher:
Rådgivende biologer, Institutt for miljøforskning
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_2012102308097_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/eb0780946b077204983f26d321651093

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.