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 2026-09-28T19:40:46Z in 0.359 seconds.

total:

7313

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
23523d45bf768648729acc1a4051cba8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061980068_002
title:
Consto holding. 2017
creators:
1 results
1. Consto holding
year:
2017
publisher:
Consto holding
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_2025061980068_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/23523d45bf768648729acc1a4051cba8
id:
c8d3ca39d093351b762d40e2ff20c128
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061980068_001
title:
Consto holding. 2016
creators:
1 results
1. Consto holding
year:
2016
publisher:
Consto holding
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_2025061980068_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c8d3ca39d093351b762d40e2ff20c128
id:
3dcc35577cceb578b6505f4b9e7f1680
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022021480010_008
title:
Moderne transport (Oslo : 1989-) : logistikk i praksis. 2011 Vol. 44 Nr. 8
creators:
1 results
1. Bjørgu AS
year:
2011
publisher:
Bjørgu 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_2022021480010_008_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3dcc35577cceb578b6505f4b9e7f1680
id:
fabe14280e467a5a70b6e23a8dfa43c6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021022307593
title:
Frå kolonial til kjøpesenter : Lars Løseths 50 første år som kremmar
creators:
3 results
1. Sæter, Yngvild
2. Løseth, Lars
3. Sæter, Svein
year:
2017
publisher:
Blomsterhaug
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_2021022307593_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/fabe14280e467a5a70b6e23a8dfa43c6
id:
d1b88a1cabd8a444092622c59dc9fc08
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_nordlys_null_null_20240709_0_156_1
title:
Nordlys
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20240709
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Troms
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_nordlys_null_null_20240709_0_156_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d1b88a1cabd8a444092622c59dc9fc08
id:
2e305303455f70769894eef4d3752527
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025120883023_001
title:
Anbudet : informasjonsblad for Nordnorske entreprenørers service organisasjon BA. 2025 Vol. 31 Nr. 4
creators:
1 results
1. Nordnorske entreprenørers service organisasjon
year:
2025
publisher:
NESO
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_2025120883023_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2e305303455f70769894eef4d3752527
id:
124a9598123bf38a08c6c78e10cd8e09
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025052280079_002
title:
Nordnorsk næring : Nord-Norges eget næringslivsblad. 2018 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. Nordnorsk næring
year:
2018
publisher:
Nordnorsk næring 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_2025052280079_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/124a9598123bf38a08c6c78e10cd8e09
id:
f73a659f101bbecbef94a0610301e45b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024111583040_001
title:
Nordnorsk rapport : Nord-Norges næringslivsavis. 2024 Nr. 4
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2024
publisher:
Nordnorsk rapport 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_2024111583040_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f73a659f101bbecbef94a0610301e45b
id:
325f59670c267364fc173a6329c63a0d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023042683098_001
title:
Unionen. 2023 Vol. 18 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Unionen fagforening
year:
2023
publisher:
Unionen fagforening
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. pol
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_2023042683098_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/325f59670c267364fc173a6329c63a0d
id:
581e156d7d0e3a8e1d5e4ffa2bb5fd7d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_firdaposten_null_null_20200228_72_17_1
title:
Firdaposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20200228
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:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_firdaposten_null_null_20200228_72_17_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/581e156d7d0e3a8e1d5e4ffa2bb5fd7d

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.