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 2026-09-25T13:57:58Z in 0.179 seconds.

total:

3430

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
51b6a68a9291cf8accd8363c51d0f851
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012050908095
title:
Om Telenor AS si verksemd
creators:
1 results
1. Norge Samferdselsdepartementet
year:
1998
publisher:
Departementet
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2012050908095_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/51b6a68a9291cf8accd8363c51d0f851
id:
8cfd44a5c627c2ccebf3cdc4ed580ab5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022120748077
title:
Historien om telekommunikasjonsvirksomheten i Siemens i Norge
creators:
2 results
1. Kragnes, Eivind
2. Andersen, Rolv
year:
2016
publisher:
[Siemenspensjonistene]
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_2022120748077_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8cfd44a5c627c2ccebf3cdc4ed580ab5
id:
3af032190ce3b2f257befdc56228a44f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2025041048029
title:
Eventyret Austevoll : et sildeconvalley
creators:
3 results
1. Lund, Eilert Munch
2. Møgster, Harry M. (Harry Magne)
3. Sjøfartsfilm AS
year:
2016
publisher:
Bodoni forl.
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_2025041048029_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3af032190ce3b2f257befdc56228a44f
id:
bd2e032ad118c33a8cdb623c46d3feaa
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023041380008_005
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 1999 Vol. 17 Nr. 30
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1999
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2023041380008_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bd2e032ad118c33a8cdb623c46d3feaa
id:
c7dd625b38a794986b0d7a51bb636c0d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022061780194_002
title:
Nettverk & kommunikasjon : fagbladet for moderne IT-løsninger. 2000 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. PC world Norge
year:
2000
publisher:
IDG Magazines 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_2022061780194_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c7dd625b38a794986b0d7a51bb636c0d
id:
82e2bf14cd332e47abc88e3af482b5bb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_minaigi_null_null_20040831_12_74_1
title:
Min Aigi
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20040831
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Finnmark
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_digavis_minaigi_null_null_20040831_12_74_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/82e2bf14cd332e47abc88e3af482b5bb
id:
042cbdc2cb69f7646faff2dc0b922b5e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023041480087_004
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 2000 Vol. 18 Nr. 30
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2000
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2023041480087_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/042cbdc2cb69f7646faff2dc0b922b5e
id:
f8c28ac57b05bb7fd4b10fd3b55c7ec0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023041380008_008
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 1999 Vol. 17 Nr. 33
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1999
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2023041380008_008_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f8c28ac57b05bb7fd4b10fd3b55c7ec0
id:
ea5baa97fdfaf4f154fb3a44878ead33
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023042480074_001
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 1999 Vol. 17 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1999
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2023042480074_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ea5baa97fdfaf4f154fb3a44878ead33
id:
62b82740d35ee6454b6a182bba5da9f8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_sandeavis_null_null_19990225_18_8_1
title:
Sande avis
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19990225
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestfold
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_sandeavis_null_null_19990225_18_8_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/62b82740d35ee6454b6a182bba5da9f8

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.