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 2026-09-09T00:57:49Z in 0.260 seconds.

total:
3052
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    ac35ec5f5e35069f753a1530c4a3bf64
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008090100117
    title:
    As you like it. 1
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Hagéus, Mildred
    year:
    1984
    publisher:
    Samlaget
    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_2008090100117_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ac35ec5f5e35069f753a1530c4a3bf64
  2. id:
    3eb97c02d201987032d356d792cf74da
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000084599
    title:
    First as Property, Then as Owners: Consent, Legal Form, and Sexual Subjectivity
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Logan, Jenny
    year:
    2026
    publisher:
    Universitetsforlaget
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. artikler
    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_pliktmonografi_000084599_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/3eb97c02d201987032d356d792cf74da
  3. id:
    e4ff8f5705a1e1e97b0845bdf2ef8dff
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012091408002
    title:
    Perspectives on children as witnesses
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Melinder, Annika
    year:
    2004
    publisher:
    Department of Psychology, University of Oslo
    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_2012091408002_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/e4ff8f5705a1e1e97b0845bdf2ef8dff
  4. id:
    f48e72d8b5d583b3bc8d7d1176ed5a7a
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009020402008
    title:
    My life as an explorer
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Amundsen, Roald
    year:
    1927
    publisher:
    Doubleday, Page
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    languages:

    1 results

    1. eng
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    yes
    license:
    publicdomain
    viewability:
    ALL
    access_allowed_from:
    EVERYWHERE
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009020402008_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/f48e72d8b5d583b3bc8d7d1176ed5a7a
  5. id:
    ba4e7f1f30e5a2c4fb94cafeaa38e1d7
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015102308103
    title:
    Nansen : the explorer as hero
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Huntford, Roland
    year:
    1997
    publisher:
    Duckworth
    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_2015102308103_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ba4e7f1f30e5a2c4fb94cafeaa38e1d7
  6. id:
    5bc69a66fa5dcb7d124021f1b4a88f6c
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024061380004_001
    title:
    Astrolit : høyaktuell litteraturservice fra AstraZeneca AS. 2007 Nr. 1
    creators:

    1 results

    1. AstraZeneca
    year:
    2007
    publisher:
    AstraZeneca
    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_2024061380004_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/5bc69a66fa5dcb7d124021f1b4a88f6c
  7. id:
    d66ae19ff559fa38ca30c6d23814c974
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580074_001
    title:
    Astrolit : høyaktuell litteraturservice fra AstraZeneca AS. 2006 Nr. 1
    creators:

    1 results

    1. AstraZeneca
    year:
    2006
    publisher:
    AstraZeneca
    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_2025042580074_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/d66ae19ff559fa38ca30c6d23814c974
  8. id:
    e364ee67c81e929c729e7282c99a729f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023033048091
    title:
    Just as I am : hymns affirming the divine female
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Hendren, Trista
    2. Daly, Pat
    3. Smith, Sharon
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    www.thegirlgod.com
    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_2023033048091_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/e364ee67c81e929c729e7282c99a729f
  9. id:
    42b28af09186b7e12915fe030b099db8
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017022448142
    title:
    "Truth" as conceived by those who are not professional philosophers
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Næss, Arne
    year:
    1938
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    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_2017022448142_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/42b28af09186b7e12915fe030b099db8
  10. id:
    c7afcabcb367fe820270c96f23e301ce
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017110948197
    title:
    An outline of British history as an introduction to British institutions
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Jensen, Lars O.
    year:
    1931
    publisher:
    (Beyer)
    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_2017110948197_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/c7afcabcb367fe820270c96f23e301ce
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.