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 2026-09-28T17:49:10Z in 0.288 seconds.

total:

275

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
96d02909458e83908303b565d63a6f27
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024071280003_005
title:
IPA-medlemsblad. 2008 Vol. 32 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. International Police Association Norsk seksjon
year:
2008
publisher:
International Police Association, Norsk seksjon
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. dan
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_2024071280003_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/96d02909458e83908303b565d63a6f27
id:
ea350e93cc2c2e99fd9fa755230a94ce
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024071280003_002
title:
IPA-medlemsblad. 2007 Vol. 31 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. International Police Association Norsk seksjon
year:
2007
publisher:
International Police Association, Norsk seksjon
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. dan
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_2024071280003_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ea350e93cc2c2e99fd9fa755230a94ce
id:
51d72849442bd6a186c80b82715e49d2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_saltenposten_null_null_20070531_13_63_1
title:
Saltenposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20070531
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Nordland
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_digavis_saltenposten_null_null_20070531_13_63_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/51d72849442bd6a186c80b82715e49d2
id:
14a217bd1a9232cd8ea086e8ca5c8d21
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025033180015_002
title:
Iris-nytt : for folk i Salten. Høst 2017
creators:
1 results
1. Iris Salten
year:
2017
publisher:
Iris Salten
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_2025033180015_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/14a217bd1a9232cd8ea086e8ca5c8d21
id:
db44cc8b406d1b51a74e2435e13dbc4b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_saltenposten_null_null_20150825_21_98_1
title:
Saltenposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20150825
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Nordland
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_digavis_saltenposten_null_null_20150825_21_98_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/db44cc8b406d1b51a74e2435e13dbc4b
id:
7538dce7dd257e6328b2a9d37e2c3e15
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024092480082_005
title:
Økonomisk rapport (1974-2009). 2008 Vol. 47 Nr. 5
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk bedriftsøkonomisk samfunn
year:
2008
publisher:
Økonomisk rapport
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_2024092480082_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7538dce7dd257e6328b2a9d37e2c3e15
id:
d0de787882266e7be1bf674629899db2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024101080018_001
title:
Matindustrien. 2012 Vol. 65 Nr. 1
creators:
4 results
1. Teknologisk matforum
2. Norske næringsmiddelteknologers forening
3. Dagens perspektiv
4. NITO mat og drikke
year:
2012
publisher:
Dagens perspektiv
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_2024101080018_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d0de787882266e7be1bf674629899db2
id:
884135e3376ef43115654025e14a2e12
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009012004063
title:
Life cycle assessment of biobags used for collection of household waste
creators:
2 results
1. Morken, John
2. Askham, Cecilia
year:
2002
publisher:
Norges landbrukshøgskole, Institutt for tekniske fag
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_2009012004063_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/884135e3376ef43115654025e14a2e12
id:
7b5814cc044eb993b39bf3236683ed4b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024070580012_014
title:
Gründer. 2008 Nr. 6
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk gründer
year:
2008
publisher:
Mentor medier
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_2024070580012_014_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7b5814cc044eb993b39bf3236683ed4b
id:
b01e7b78d4b066652e044d6382e8f032
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_smaalenenesavis_null_null_20161228_117_302_1
title:
Smaalenenes Avis
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20161228
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Østfold
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_smaalenenesavis_null_null_20161228_117_302_1-1_01_seksjonsnavn/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b01e7b78d4b066652e044d6382e8f032

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.