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 2026-09-08T18:58:58Z in 0.248 seconds.

total:

2010484

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
5d144c7693a4c69095e6bb4f0a68555b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024111248046
title:
Erindringer fra et liv som entreprenør : historien om Brødrene Gjermundshaugs begynnelse - Brødrene Gjermundshaug AS og Brødrene Gjermundshaug anlegg AS
creators:
1 results
1. Gjermundshaug, Ove
year:
2024
publisher:
Ove Gjermundshaug
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Innlandet
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_2024111248046_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5d144c7693a4c69095e6bb4f0a68555b
id:
878535a15ea463dcace114643bb443b1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016120948002
title:
Elektriske anlegg
creators:
3 results
1. Svenningsen, Tom
2. Teknologisk institutt
3. Statens teknologiske institutt Avd. for bygg og anlegg
year:
1988
publisher:
Instituttet
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_2016120948002_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/878535a15ea463dcace114643bb443b1
id:
4818ec8a1ca6057c611ad588b8d1209c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016120948001
title:
VVS-anlegg
creators:
3 results
1. Johansen, Thorbjørn
2. Teknologisk institutt
3. Statens teknologiske institutt Avd. for bygg og anlegg
year:
1987
publisher:
Instituttet
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_2016120948001_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4818ec8a1ca6057c611ad588b8d1209c
id:
a65b9fc5748a1b0bb950138180264082
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009051804111
title:
Terrengarbeid og tekniske anlegg : utmåling og høydesetting
creators:
1 results
1. Landsforeningen for bygg og anlegg
year:
1994
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_2009051804111_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a65b9fc5748a1b0bb950138180264082
id:
8121665a4b2f644dcbe3613a3eb1763b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009060800018
title:
Terrengarbeid og tekniske anlegg : utmåling og høgdesetjing
creators:
1 results
1. Landsforeningen for bygg og anlegg
year:
1994
publisher:
Landsforeningen for bygg og anlegg ; Universitetsforl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2009060800018_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8121665a4b2f644dcbe3613a3eb1763b
id:
a50670e6a6f30d1a58974be83541e3b9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009091504059
title:
Elektriske anlegg
creators:
1 results
1. Glenne, Halvor
year:
1995
publisher:
NKI 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_2009091504059_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a50670e6a6f30d1a58974be83541e3b9
id:
616adebf821b30a532f3c590d46672e6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011070106153
title:
Maritime elektriske anlegg : skipselektriske anlegg
creators:
2 results
1. Libak, Håkon
2. Rasmussen, Rolv
year:
2003
publisher:
Yrkesforl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. nno
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_2011070106153_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/616adebf821b30a532f3c590d46672e6
id:
f9035f607eb739021965c070728b5bd9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010071208035
title:
Elektriske anlegg. 2
creators:
2 results
1. Audestad, Jan H.
2. Sørbø, Gunnar
year:
1985
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_2010071208035_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f9035f607eb739021965c070728b5bd9
id:
5205fd8aa84621936fb8627c1e12b5f8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015041008009
title:
Forbedring av skøyteisen i Vikingskipet, Hamar olympiske anlegg AS
creators:
1 results
1. Hammer, Egil B.
year:
1994
publisher:
not reported by source
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_2015041008009_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5205fd8aa84621936fb8627c1e12b5f8
id:
c9948c0402ce1a27b64e2bd502718e2d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013082006084
title:
Skipselektriske anlegg
creators:
1 results
1. Stenberg, Oddvar
year:
1982
publisher:
Universitetsforlaget
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_2013082006084_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c9948c0402ce1a27b64e2bd502718e2d

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.