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 2026-09-25T01:11:44Z in 0.236 seconds.

total:

749239

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
4d8b9644201aa6458fba753667c0c452
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011091606005
title:
Med livbåt i hundre : en fortelling om Norsafe AS, tidligere Jørgensen & Vik AS : 1903-2003
creators:
2 results
1. Eikeland, Olav
2. Norsafe AS
year:
2003
publisher:
[Norsafe]
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
county:
Agder
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_2011091606005_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4d8b9644201aa6458fba753667c0c452
id:
937cc71798a59ce0b67df30f43d8a37e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008111304069
title:
Fosby AS - i jobb i 70 år
creators:
1 results
1. Hultengreen, Harald
year:
2001
publisher:
Hugin 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_2008111304069_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/937cc71798a59ce0b67df30f43d8a37e
id:
1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011081006034
title:
Erfaring - vår framtid : AS Bolaks 1975-2010
creators:
2 results
1. Vangsnes, Ella Marie Brekke
2. Bolaks AS
year:
2010
publisher:
AS Bolaks
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
Vestland
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_2011081006034_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
id:
1469f20337f6b4d9dc2d7c11b7af58b0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016031048049
title:
Før & nå : en jubileumsbok for Peter M. Kolderup AS
creators:
2 results
1. Sæveraas, Siv
2. Peter M. Kolderup AS
year:
2004
publisher:
Peter M. Kolderup
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_2016031048049_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1469f20337f6b4d9dc2d7c11b7af58b0
id:
06f325f2c7be650d8987df7f20060ed9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025010380012_003
title:
BD nå : kundemagasin fra Brødrene Dahl AS. 2010 Nr. September
creators:
1 results
1. Brødrene Dahl AS
year:
2010
publisher:
Brødrene Dahl 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_2025010380012_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/06f325f2c7be650d8987df7f20060ed9
id:
87c0ee32a20e9b541cb53f4f15f5263e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025021483010_001
title:
BD nå : kundemagasin fra Brødrene Dahl AS. 2011 Nr. April
creators:
1 results
1. Brødrene Dahl AS
year:
2011
publisher:
Brødrene Dahl 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_2025021483010_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/87c0ee32a20e9b541cb53f4f15f5263e
id:
6225f6dc4cdacc60fa531572024ba414
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025010380012_001
title:
BD nå : kundemagasin fra Brødrene Dahl AS. 2010 Nr. Februar
creators:
1 results
1. Brødrene Dahl AS
year:
2010
publisher:
Brødrene Dahl 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_2025010380012_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/6225f6dc4cdacc60fa531572024ba414
id:
dd154707cd3adda328ccde8f081a0efd
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000002817
title:
Tiltaksorientert overvåking av Ranfjorden i 2020. Overvåking for Mo Industripark AS, Celsa Armeringsstål AS, Elkem ASA Rana, Ferroglobe Mangan Norge AS, Rana Gruber AS og Miljøteknikk Terrateam AS
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2021
publisher:
Norsk Institutt For Vannforskning
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000002817_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/dd154707cd3adda328ccde8f081a0efd
id:
150005ea1666a2f1f2939af145c70987
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009062900010
title:
Byggetid : Martin M. Bakken AS : 75 års historie 1928-2003
creators:
1 results
1. Martin M. Bakken AS
year:
2003
publisher:
Martin M. Bakken A/S
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_2009062900010_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/150005ea1666a2f1f2939af145c70987
id:
8248140235b3b501b1ee1967b314bf36
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025112583018_001
title:
ABCompendiet : et informasjonsmagasin fra Arne B. Corneliussen AS. 2012 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2012
publisher:
Arne B. Corneliussen 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_2025112583018_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8248140235b3b501b1ee1967b314bf36

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.