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 2026-09-24T02:31:13Z in 0.199 seconds.

total:

2916

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
02141443a457797e96274ba42e6032b9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020070748622
title:
MS "Costa Concordia" : avviksbeslutningen : risikabel teknologi, kultur og avvik i Costa Conciere S.p.A
creators:
1 results
1. Christophersen, Jan Georg
year:
2018
publisher:
Forl. J.G. Christophersen
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_2020070748622_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/02141443a457797e96274ba42e6032b9
id:
c5343b1183fdcf0cfd67844d6f27b056
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_ffeb894b-bd28-40ac-b523-eaddd7ae0fcd
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2025 Vol. 39 Nr. 11
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2025
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_ffeb894b-bd28-40ac-b523-eaddd7ae0fcd_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c5343b1183fdcf0cfd67844d6f27b056
id:
02b5388b8e61fc22f5d243cef16530bb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026080683008_001
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 4
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_2026080683008_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/02b5388b8e61fc22f5d243cef16530bb
id:
94cbed30d24d9ed63100fa39d6f1ba21
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_7bdd8619-3b70-4c40-bc72-04cdd794d964
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_7bdd8619-3b70-4c40-bc72-04cdd794d964_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/94cbed30d24d9ed63100fa39d6f1ba21
id:
5447ae4e96838e51fb074ed44f8abb41
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_af45a451-d646-4c37-81b4-05f9a35eabc6
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 3
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_af45a451-d646-4c37-81b4-05f9a35eabc6_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5447ae4e96838e51fb074ed44f8abb41
id:
b69b1a6945c136de7cc20b5da6bf4e36
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_1d698a7d-339e-42e5-86d7-eadd31adc4ee
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 7
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_1d698a7d-339e-42e5-86d7-eadd31adc4ee_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b69b1a6945c136de7cc20b5da6bf4e36
id:
91843b2b88aad722646770a9ea9cdc3c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_44ee1880-de94-4e03-8c55-93e626e39b5d
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2025 Vol. 39 Nr. 6
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2025
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_44ee1880-de94-4e03-8c55-93e626e39b5d_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/91843b2b88aad722646770a9ea9cdc3c
id:
913734dcf507f9e3d774db6088471193
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_620eaf59-7595-4b91-b2bb-5521d7a9ac4d
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 2
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_620eaf59-7595-4b91-b2bb-5521d7a9ac4d_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/913734dcf507f9e3d774db6088471193
id:
611bb4fda8bbafb3de6503e0b57021fd
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_15e8eef7-587e-467d-9d93-82c98f0e39c2
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2026 Vol. 40 Nr. 6
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2026
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_15e8eef7-587e-467d-9d93-82c98f0e39c2_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/611bb4fda8bbafb3de6503e0b57021fd
id:
1ab2c20f1d3627057376162cb1cc9f51
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_956ecd81-bd86-4cca-92ad-e4fa889d0490
title:
Maritimt magasin. 2025 Vol. 39 Nr. 10
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2025
publisher:
Maritimt magasin
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_plikttidsskrift_956ecd81-bd86-4cca-92ad-e4fa889d0490_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1ab2c20f1d3627057376162cb1cc9f51

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.