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 2026-09-27T21:37:56Z in 0.230 seconds.

total:
82606
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    a789c36ad6eec8d338894c170266384a
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013120606101
    title:
    Med Bratseth & Gikling gjennom 50 år
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Gikling, Eva
    2. Bratseth & Gikling as
    year:
    2003
    publisher:
    Bratseth & Gikling
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    Utlandet
    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_2013120606101_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/a789c36ad6eec8d338894c170266384a
  2. id:
    1177dd6323894af6e17898c0952624d5
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014051508054
    title:
    Banens beste : Rune og Trude om tro og idrett
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Brurås, Svein
    year:
    1989
    publisher:
    Sambåndet
    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_2014051508054_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/1177dd6323894af6e17898c0952624d5
  3. id:
    57751fc627d1ffff7b46ad0e7a44c777
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011062406013
    title:
    Noe muffens
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Bratseth, Birgitte
    2. Carlsen, Johnny
    3. Nordmagi A/S
    year:
    2003
    publisher:
    Cappelen
    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_2011062406013_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/57751fc627d1ffff7b46ad0e7a44c777
  4. id:
    3d30875f4674555cc6bcdbe8c9b46a37
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011062706197
    title:
    Gnotterimaskinen
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Bratseth, Birgitte
    2. Carlsen, Johnny
    3. Nordmagi A/S
    year:
    2003
    publisher:
    Cappelen
    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_2011062706197_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/3d30875f4674555cc6bcdbe8c9b46a37
  5. id:
    410e22fbe51244d80737a9d17ad7a56f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022680107_004
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2004 Vol. 14 Nr. 4
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2004
    publisher:
    Sport 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_2026022680107_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/410e22fbe51244d80737a9d17ad7a56f
  6. id:
    1237990d6eb45a10d7f18eea1644023a
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026022680107_002
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2004 Vol. 14 Nr. 2
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2004
    publisher:
    Sport 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_2026022680107_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/1237990d6eb45a10d7f18eea1644023a
  7. id:
    14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024071980003_007
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2007 Vol. 19 Nr. 5b
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2007
    publisher:
    Sport 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_2024071980003_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/14e25740202a28cf464836a66ce53f60
  8. id:
    081ecb0cc22527c03d3afe3ff65f6155
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020112748570
    title:
    Prothrombotic activity and circulating microvesicles in diabetes, with and without CAD : special emphasis on the influence of exercise training and longitudinal development
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Bratseth, Vibeke
    2. Universitetet i Oslo Det medisinske fakultet
    3. Universitetet i Oslo Institutt for klinisk medisin
    year:
    2020
    publisher:
    University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine
    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_2020112748570_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/081ecb0cc22527c03d3afe3ff65f6155
  9. id:
    ee3b7d270f57f6eaec9d45fdfaf31fe6
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021030248854
    title:
    Romsdals fellesbank AS 1927-2005 : lokalbank gjennom 78 år
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Harnes, Per Arnt
    2. Sparebanken Midt-Norge
    year:
    2007
    publisher:
    SpareBank 1, Romsdals fellesbank
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    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_digibok_2021030248854_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ee3b7d270f57f6eaec9d45fdfaf31fe6
  10. id:
    51de08a9a8617f0c16e8de1e83b3fb2b
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021122048522
    title:
    Studieprogramledelse i høyere utdanning : i spenningsfelt mellom struktur og handlingsrom
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Johansen, Marte Bratseth
    2. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet Institutt for pedagogikk og livslang læring
    3. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
    year:
    2020
    publisher:
    Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Fakultet for samfunns- og utdanningsvitenskap, Institutt for pedagogikk og livslang læring
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    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_digibok_2021122048522_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/51de08a9a8617f0c16e8de1e83b3fb2b
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.