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 2026-09-12T02:27:15Z in 0.246 seconds.

total:

325336

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
68a9b0945a58a6b91087d0a634573778
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012031308044
title:
Kaptein Cook
creators:
2 results
1. MacLean, Alistair
2. Hartun, Per A.
year:
1973
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_2012031308044_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/68a9b0945a58a6b91087d0a634573778
id:
1aecb2f380a1268a5ffee41c5702fc82
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024092680021_002
title:
Dialog (Posten Norge) : bedriftsinformasjon fra Posten Norge AS. 2007 Vol. 20 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. Posten Norge
year:
2007
publisher:
Posten Norge
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_2024092680021_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1aecb2f380a1268a5ffee41c5702fc82
id:
448a32364863920d34c4b0d1f32ce2c7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012032838012
title:
Kaptein Cook's reiser
creators:
3 results
1. Syme, Ronald
2. Nilsen, Oddvar
3. Forman, Werner
year:
1972
publisher:
International Publishing Company, (De Unge)
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_2012032838012_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/448a32364863920d34c4b0d1f32ce2c7
id:
69df27c62f5ef39a8d06781bf339b0ed
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023013148067
title:
North Star cook book
creators:
1 results
1. Norwegian Woman's Auxiliary of Fairview Hospital
year:
1908
publisher:
Norwegian Woman's Auxiliary of Fairview Hospital
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
Utlandet
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023013148067_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/69df27c62f5ef39a8d06781bf339b0ed
id:
ee24ea440f3112ffa760470d9ebc6806
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024120380026_002
title:
Siemens i Norge : årsrapport, HMS-rapport, samfunnsansvarsrapport. 2004
creators:
1 results
1. Siemens AS
year:
2004
publisher:
Siemens
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_2024120380026_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ee24ea440f3112ffa760470d9ebc6806
id:
e5caaab7409cabb56ea025714dda22ea
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024120380026_003
title:
Siemens i Norge : årsrapport, HMS-rapport, samfunnsansvarsrapport. 2005
creators:
1 results
1. Siemens AS
year:
2005
publisher:
Siemens
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_2024120380026_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e5caaab7409cabb56ea025714dda22ea
id:
9330070a9e1fbbb0c6e5790b0447ec4e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014082608027
title:
Cook's Reiser i sydhavet : fremstillet efter de nyeste og bedste kilder
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1882
publisher:
P.T. Mallings boghandels Forlag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014082608027_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9330070a9e1fbbb0c6e5790b0447ec4e
id:
a61674eb755ba932c3f76ed6ab0bc5de
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013070824019
title:
Second voyage de James Cook, autour du monde, et dans les régions du pôle austral, fait en 1772, 1773, 1774 et 1775. T. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Cook, James
year:
1804
publisher:
chez la veuve Lepetit, libraire
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. fre
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013070824019_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a61674eb755ba932c3f76ed6ab0bc5de
id:
3083f32c2a8d5a7a87a9dfd420a1ccff
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017091107011
title:
Reiseliv gjennom 150 år : Bennett reisebureau AS - Bennett BTI Nordic Norge AS : 1850-2000
creators:
2 results
1. Hoemsnes, Ole N.
2. Bennett BTI Nordic Norge
year:
1999
publisher:
Reisebyrået
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_2017091107011_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3083f32c2a8d5a7a87a9dfd420a1ccff
id:
d337bca1f35d7074672e2a8ee6345191
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013071226004
title:
Second voyage de James Cook, autour du monde, et dans les régions du pôle austral, fait en 1772, 1773, 1774 et 1775. T. [5] : Atlas du second voyage de James Cook : contenant la carte des nouvelles découvertes faites dans la mer du sud, et vingt-sept planches en taille-douce
creators:
1 results
1. Cook, James
year:
1804
publisher:
chez la veuve Lepetit, libraire
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. fre
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013071226004_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d337bca1f35d7074672e2a8ee6345191

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.