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.

ParameterRequirementJSON typeDescription
qrequiredstringFree-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
media_typeoptionalunionRestrict 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.
languageoptionalunionLanguage 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.
countyoptionalunionNorwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
year_fromoptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
year_tooptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
digital_onlyoptionalbooleanOnly items that have been digitized.
sortoptionalunionOne of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
pageoptionalintegerZero-based page index.
sizeoptionalintegerResults per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
limitoptionalintegerGateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
offsetoptionalintegerNumber 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.

Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
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.
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.
Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.
Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
Type: integer. Zero-based page index.
Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-09-08T23:07:52Z in 0.256 seconds.

total:
4241
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    5c392802211ead3acec52c99c23d0c7c
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015090906003
    title:
    IT-strategi
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Gottschalk, Petter
    year:
    2002
    publisher:
    Fagbokforl.
    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_2015090906003_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/5c392802211ead3acec52c99c23d0c7c
  2. id:
    7a5e9ffa0ec5966ad6b96dd7919f5999
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009012804084
    title:
    IT-ledelse for kunnskapsbedrifter
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Gottschalk, Petter
    year:
    2002
    publisher:
    Universitetsforl.
    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_2009012804084_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/7a5e9ffa0ec5966ad6b96dd7919f5999
  3. id:
    612a8513599f574b658b80daec99821f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025071180009_003
    title:
    Digital kompetanse (trykt utg.) : Nordic journal of digital literacy. 2008 Vol. 3 Nr. 2
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Forsknings- og kompetansenettverk for IT i utdanning
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Universitetsforlaget
    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_2025071180009_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/612a8513599f574b658b80daec99821f
  4. id:
    788c624cb41a32e8357a99a84f618bdd
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011070406197
    title:
    IT som konkurransevåpen : strategisk bruk av informasjonsteknologi
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Den Norske dataforening
    year:
    1989
    publisher:
    Den norske dataforening
    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_2011070406197_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/788c624cb41a32e8357a99a84f618bdd
  5. id:
    8a73958aa3b2b44104af37ed77e1dac9
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012080608276
    title:
    Praksisoppgaver og cases : effektiv bruk av IT
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Sempler, Marianne
    2. Trangsrud, Ole Jonny
    3. Næringsakademiet
    year:
    1994
    publisher:
    Næringsakademiet
    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_2012080608276_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8a73958aa3b2b44104af37ed77e1dac9
  6. id:
    14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024071980003_007
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2007 Vol. 19 Nr. 5b
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2007
    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_2024071980003_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
  7. id:
    349cb560803d6f39e1bc1540725cff31
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025032780012_004
    title:
    Elektronikk : tidsskrift for IT og telekom. 1998 Nr. 4
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    1998
    publisher:
    Elektronikkforl.
    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_2025032780012_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/349cb560803d6f39e1bc1540725cff31
  8. id:
    290400f1f388b6bb2ac2d6cfad96d1fa
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023103183012_001
    title:
    Elektronikk : tidsskrift for IT og telekom. 2023 Vol. 56 Nr. 10
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2023
    publisher:
    Elektronikkforl.
    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_2023103183012_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/290400f1f388b6bb2ac2d6cfad96d1fa
  9. id:
    0fce54b0eaa5ebe24c8cbbb76f7f3563
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010050705088
    title:
    IT neste ti : informasjonsteknologi de neste ti år
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Den Norske dataforening
    year:
    1993
    publisher:
    Den norske dataforening i samarbeid med Ad Notam Gyldendal
    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_2010050705088_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/0fce54b0eaa5ebe24c8cbbb76f7f3563
  10. id:
    2fd13690eae3704b0be7d9234f9e33c2
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025073183043_001
    title:
    Elektronikk : tidsskrift for IT og telekom. 2025 Vol. 58 Nr. 6
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2025
    publisher:
    Elektronikkforl.
    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_2025073183043_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2fd13690eae3704b0be7d9234f9e33c2
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
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

  1. Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
  2. Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
  3. 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.