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 2026-09-26T16:04:51Z in 0.228 seconds.

total:

2887

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
f9e925f45aee2de3991bcf1af632aad0
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Referera reflekterande : konsten att referera och citera i beteendevetenskaperna
creators:
1 results
1. Erikson, Martin G.
year:
2009
publisher:
Studentlitteratur
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. swe
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f9e925f45aee2de3991bcf1af632aad0
id:
b09c4b6a02e55bdad40547005f356b56
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023042548031
title:
From the eye to the hippocampal formation : neural networks as analysis and discovery tools
creators:
3 results
1. Frey, Markus
2. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
3. Kavliinstituttet for systemnevrovitenskap
year:
2023
publisher:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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_2023042548031_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b09c4b6a02e55bdad40547005f356b56
id:
b5f4bb792f5f9f27a3fd0070046bf382
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024082880006_002
title:
Cupido. 1984 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. Hverdag AS
year:
1984
publisher:
Hverdag 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_2024082880006_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b5f4bb792f5f9f27a3fd0070046bf382
id:
2c595cd009a2fff5a1dd2ef0c946b62b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007010300014
title:
Den trøndske ålmenningsretten i gamalnorsk tid
creators:
1 results
1. Solnørdal, O.
year:
1933
publisher:
Nationaltrykkeriet
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_2007010300014_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2c595cd009a2fff5a1dd2ef0c946b62b
id:
90a4e1ddc2a3f9537d738d0fe0032d71
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gulatidend_null_null_19121009_8_156_1
title:
Gula Tidend
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19121009
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gulatidend_null_null_19121009_8_156_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/90a4e1ddc2a3f9537d738d0fe0032d71
id:
31c18232c8989c603cc9b27666812af0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_vossavis_null_null_19091204_4_95_1
title:
Voss Avis
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19091204
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_vossavis_null_null_19091204_4_95_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/31c18232c8989c603cc9b27666812af0
id:
01f70bf579dcaf6b1fc099251ca8e4da
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025021780005_004
title:
Fram (Studentmållaget i Oslo : 1923-1929). 1927 Vol. 5 Nr. 4
creators:
3 results
1. Studentmållaget i Oslo
2. Studentmållaget i Nidaros
3. Studentmållaget i Ås
year:
1927
publisher:
Studentmållaget i Ås
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025021780005_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/01f70bf579dcaf6b1fc099251ca8e4da
id:
b95c12d9f1e7528de72719895d0d283e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gulatidend_null_null_19090510_5_53_1
title:
Gula Tidend
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19090510
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_gulatidend_null_null_19090510_5_53_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b95c12d9f1e7528de72719895d0d283e
id:
0530a5541c6cc6d1d7de7e71e6932741
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009092504042
title:
Murar : essäer om makt, identitet och territorialitet
creators:
1 results
1. Tunander, Ola
year:
1995
publisher:
Nordisk Sommeruniversitet
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. swe
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_digibok_2009092504042_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0530a5541c6cc6d1d7de7e71e6932741
id:
db477ca431b65d50c0aa4714c6ffc6e5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_fjordabladet_null_null_19250221_52_21_1
title:
Fjordabladet
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19250221
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_fjordabladet_null_null_19250221_52_21_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/db477ca431b65d50c0aa4714c6ffc6e5

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.