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 2026-09-24T14:22:47Z in 0.222 seconds.

total:
8223
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    5c14f3e6f99a9861e771a8ff24d60ceb
    urn:
    not reported by source
    title:
    Kort om jus : informasjon om aktuelle juridiske spørsmål fra Advokatfirmaet Haavind Vislie AS
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Advokatfirmaet Haavind Vislie
    year:
    20000101
    publisher:
    Advokatfirmaet Haavind Vislie
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    no
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    ALL
    access_allowed_from:
    EVERYWHERE
    thumbnail:
    not reported by source
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/5c14f3e6f99a9861e771a8ff24d60ceb
  2. id:
    9635defc6533b70675899a242dcfd4a1
    urn:
    not reported by source
    title:
    Nyhetsbrev : offentlige anskaffelser
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Advokatfirmaet Haavind Vislie
    year:
    20030101
    publisher:
    Advokatfirmaet Haavind Vislie
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    no
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    ALL
    access_allowed_from:
    EVERYWHERE
    thumbnail:
    not reported by source
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/9635defc6533b70675899a242dcfd4a1
  3. id:
    1d62e194f831ee0abe61d0eaa04a0dcf
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011030908115
    title:
    Advokatfirmaet som kunnskapsbedrift : strategisk bruk av informasjonsteknologi
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Gottschalk, Petter
    year:
    2003
    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_2011030908115_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/1d62e194f831ee0abe61d0eaa04a0dcf
  4. id:
    dc63c9ece2d4b39d1ee2868bc00c62b8
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021021026001
    title:
    Studentene fra 1914 : biografiske opplysninger samlet til 50-års jubileet 1964
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Solem, Arne
    2. Haavind, Herman
    3. Melhus, Alf
    year:
    1964
    publisher:
    [s.n.]
    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_2021021026001_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/dc63c9ece2d4b39d1ee2868bc00c62b8
  5. id:
    c8ad22bdeef5c9e53fb1304851065374
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012112606223
    title:
    Studentene fra 1914 : utgitt til fem-og tyveårsjubileet
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Haavind, A.H.
    2. Amundsen, O. Delphin
    3. Melhus, Alf C.
    year:
    1939
    publisher:
    Grøndahl
    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_2012112606223_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/c8ad22bdeef5c9e53fb1304851065374
  6. id:
    ef83833bb0c8bd83a1b43171da07990e
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008071000016
    title:
    Domssamling i aksjeselskapsrett
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Advokatfirmaet Schjødt
    year:
    1996
    publisher:
    Juridisk forl.
    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_2008071000016_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ef83833bb0c8bd83a1b43171da07990e
  7. id:
    8170428a548c764adbfb63ad4243ae96
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021111248015
    title:
    På BA-HR bakke : en varslers historie
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Breirem, Kari
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Solum Bokvennen
    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_2021111248015_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8170428a548c764adbfb63ad4243ae96
  8. id:
    8e4abe31350caa3f6817ecd46995d229
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012112208083
    title:
    På BA-HR bakke : en varslers historie
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Breirem, Kari
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Bazar
    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_2012112208083_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8e4abe31350caa3f6817ecd46995d229
  9. id:
    001429fc94a0b0b5c2a21ea5662511ba
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013102505040
    title:
    På BA-HR bakke : en varslers historie
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Breirem, Kari
    year:
    2007
    publisher:
    Bazar
    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_2013102505040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/001429fc94a0b0b5c2a21ea5662511ba
  10. id:
    9335afd3d57b999cf79f3e4008fd1895
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_finansavisen_null_null_20200113_1_1_2
    title:
    Finansavisen
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20200113
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Oslo
    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_digavis_finansavisen_null_null_20200113_1_1_2-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/9335afd3d57b999cf79f3e4008fd1895
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
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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.