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 2026-09-11T08:19:08Z in 0.232 seconds.

total:
587
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    791b00b80fa9ba24fca0c27bd8d2c03f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024101083030_001
    title:
    Offshore Norway (Offshore Norway AS) : your guide to the Norwegian oil and gas industry. 2024/2025
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Offshore Norway
    year:
    2024
    publisher:
    Offshore Norway AS
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2024101083030_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/791b00b80fa9ba24fca0c27bd8d2c03f
  2. id:
    e94ee6c5ba1be70d3a173d982ad01bd3
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022100483282_001
    title:
    Offshore Norway (Offshore Norway AS) : your guide to the Norwegian oil and gas industry. 2022/2023
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Offshore Norway
    year:
    2022
    publisher:
    Offshore Norway AS
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2022100483282_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/e94ee6c5ba1be70d3a173d982ad01bd3
  3. id:
    1acf679a1baeba1407665e72a1ee33a0
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022022480005_007
    title:
    Moderne transport (Oslo : 1989-) : logistikk i praksis. 2008 Vol. 41 Nr. 7
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Bjørgu AS
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Bjørgu AS
    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_2022022480005_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/1acf679a1baeba1407665e72a1ee33a0
  4. id:
    8ca2f1dfd37010d2beb389c1d90f8f72
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580058_004
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2005 Nr. 4
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2005
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580058_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8ca2f1dfd37010d2beb389c1d90f8f72
  5. id:
    371e0c420e041ecb7f12f4be5d4e1008
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580058_003
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2005 Nr. 3
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2005
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580058_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/371e0c420e041ecb7f12f4be5d4e1008
  6. id:
    641773669716d1457717e950d2d410e7
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580058_007
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2005 Nr. 7
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2005
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580058_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/641773669716d1457717e950d2d410e7
  7. id:
    7e8e238d538789d67be6b1d9ebc572e3
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580058_006
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2005 Nr. 6
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2005
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580058_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/7e8e238d538789d67be6b1d9ebc572e3
  8. id:
    ab167e5a2c3ba5265d0310f8bcc38c13
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580058_005
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2005 Nr. 5
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2005
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580058_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ab167e5a2c3ba5265d0310f8bcc38c13
  9. id:
    2559c26bc9a5fa8e3d398b92257e38d5
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580060_002
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2006 Nr. 2
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2006
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580060_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2559c26bc9a5fa8e3d398b92257e38d5
  10. id:
    921f1bcf72d1749f9696cd3ce0ef3563
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025042580060_001
    title:
    Automasjon : teknisk nytt. 2006 Nr. 1
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2006
    publisher:
    Linc 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_2025042580060_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/921f1bcf72d1749f9696cd3ce0ef3563
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
Will you use the result in generated code?

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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.