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 2026-09-23T12:28:58Z in 0.197 seconds.

total:

46964

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
d167bdac18f71ec39c8a8619a7597e3d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014091807028
title:
Tillæg og rettelser til Hildebrand Meyers Bergens beskrivelse
creators:
2 results
1. Bendixen, B.E.
2. Bergens historiske forening
year:
1905
publisher:
John Grieg
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Vestland
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_2014091807028_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d167bdac18f71ec39c8a8619a7597e3d
id:
8dec85c57412bb16c7225529c4a875ec
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2021042083190_001
title:
Ukens byggenytt : nyhets- og annonseorgan for bygg, anlegg, industri. 1957 Vol. 2 Nr. 14
creators:
1 results
1. Aastad, Arvid
year:
1957
publisher:
Ukens byggenytt
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_2021042083190_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8dec85c57412bb16c7225529c4a875ec
id:
1f6c626eed5ccd708f15c7ec75e03cb8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2026090706009
title:
Assessing mild dementia : a study of brief cognitive tests
creators:
1 results
1. Skjerve, Arvid
year:
2008
publisher:
University of Bergen
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_2026090706009_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1f6c626eed5ccd708f15c7ec75e03cb8
id:
53e8f96b2ede4b62e95908b4660a8951
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008051604107
title:
Litteraturen om Hedmarksbygdene : en bibliografi
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Arvid
year:
1963
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_2008051604107_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/53e8f96b2ede4b62e95908b4660a8951
id:
79d91ed345655a549754483eabbec439
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013092608010
title:
Storpolitikk og intriger! : slaget på Vågen i Bergen 1665, dets internasjonale bakgrunn og følger
creators:
1 results
1. Bagge, Bjørn-Arvid
year:
2012
publisher:
Bodoni forl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
7 results
1. eng
2. ger
3. nob
4. mul
5. nno
6. dan
7. fre
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_2013092608010_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/79d91ed345655a549754483eabbec439
id:
49ece2407be9c229add3e60025656818
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018052348084
title:
En velsignet søttendes : historien og historier om den bergenske 17. mai-feiringen
creators:
1 results
1. Bagge, Bjørn-Arvid
year:
2014
publisher:
Bodoni forl.
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_2018052348084_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/49ece2407be9c229add3e60025656818
id:
c37414e854a524ec78d072b5a2d4bc94
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018031548151
title:
Norske klosterplanter : levende kulturminner fra middelalderen
creators:
1 results
1. Åsen, Per Arvid
year:
2015
publisher:
Portal
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_2018031548151_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c37414e854a524ec78d072b5a2d4bc94
id:
56cb3482eb7da9acefe12577ce804627
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013102508029
title:
Henrik Ibsen : herregårder, kammerherrer, godseiere og proprietærer : brokker av en slektshistorie
creators:
2 results
1. Høgvoll, Arvid
2. Bærland, Ruth
year:
1996
publisher:
Nome antikvariat
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Telemark
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_2013102508029_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/56cb3482eb7da9acefe12577ce804627
id:
410e22fbe51244d80737a9d17ad7a56f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022680107_004
title:
Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2004 Vol. 14 Nr. 4
creators:
2 results
1. Birkebeinerrittet
2. Birkebeinerrennet
year:
2004
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_2026022680107_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/410e22fbe51244d80737a9d17ad7a56f
id:
9e59b8c290180fa53675e84a65820547
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022680108_004
title:
Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2003 Vol. 15 Nr. 4
creators:
2 results
1. Birkebeinerrittet
2. Birkebeinerrennet
year:
2003
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_2026022680108_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9e59b8c290180fa53675e84a65820547

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.