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 2026-09-24T08:01:06Z in 0.179 seconds.

total:

83265

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
c031c1c8e47cf195a16c71cbc10da81d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016011448188
title:
Fri flyt eventyret
creators:
2 results
1. Bentsen, Børge Elliot
2. Vesterålens naturprodukter AS
year:
2008
publisher:
Vesterålens naturprodukter
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_2016011448188_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c031c1c8e47cf195a16c71cbc10da81d
id:
5d144c7693a4c69095e6bb4f0a68555b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024111248046
title:
Erindringer fra et liv som entreprenør : historien om Brødrene Gjermundshaugs begynnelse - Brødrene Gjermundshaug AS og Brødrene Gjermundshaug anlegg AS
creators:
1 results
1. Gjermundshaug, Ove
year:
2024
publisher:
Ove Gjermundshaug
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Innlandet
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_2024111248046_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5d144c7693a4c69095e6bb4f0a68555b
id:
b895271fb9a175d5d36ad953529ddeb4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021081248504
title:
Erik Munk : kriger, lensherre og bondeplager : en entreprenør for si tid
creators:
1 results
1. Masdalen, Kjell-Olav
year:
2016
publisher:
Portal
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_2021081248504_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b895271fb9a175d5d36ad953529ddeb4
id:
17df038ec44c2100a0587f06f1072107
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024012948027
title:
LOBAS 75-årsjubileum : 1947-2022 : Lonevåg beslagfabrikk AS
creators:
2 results
1. Vik, Bjarte
2. Lonevåg beslagfabrikk
year:
2022
publisher:
Lonevåg beslagfabrikk AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
Vestland
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_2024012948027_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/17df038ec44c2100a0587f06f1072107
id:
684e6f0a928c4ef14015e7b2745af014
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020100807536
title:
Livsglad mat frå havet : ei historie om Brødrene Hjønnevåg AS
creators:
3 results
1. Tjelmeland, Sjur
2. Brødrene Hjønnevåg AS
3. Myhre, Egil
year:
2016
publisher:
Brødrene Hjønnevåg AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2020100807536_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/684e6f0a928c4ef14015e7b2745af014
id:
d04d9007a3c4e1f0f460fa80858dc332
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000007872
title:
Voss Forretningsbygg AS 50 år : skipa 3. juli 1972
creators:
1 results
1. Hofseth, Arne
year:
2022
publisher:
Voss Forretningsbygg AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_pliktmonografi_000007872_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d04d9007a3c4e1f0f460fa80858dc332
id:
5dcf264ad385b2dc8c3464c43279d7d9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009100904054
title:
I kontakt med fremtiden : historien om Philip Hauge AS ved 50 års jubileet 1995
creators:
1 results
1. Philip Hauge AS
year:
1995
publisher:
Philip Hauge
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_2009100904054_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5dcf264ad385b2dc8c3464c43279d7d9
id:
3539ed8e323d1df17fd572fe185fa971
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012030208000
title:
Hundre år i ull : Gudbrandsdalens uldvarefabrik AS, 1887-1987
creators:
1 results
1. Ramberg, Knut
year:
1987
publisher:
Thorsrud a.s
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_2012030208000_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3539ed8e323d1df17fd572fe185fa971
id:
34d967283b1f479f2c18a94c65f38a25
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009062304095
title:
Fra smia til boblebadet : en fortelling om Stjern AS i forbindelse med firmaets 50-årsjubileum
creators:
2 results
1. Bueng, Helge Kr
2. Stjern AS
year:
2003
publisher:
Stjern
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_2009062304095_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/34d967283b1f479f2c18a94c65f38a25
id:
2a939b0b95f35354ceda4e1c0d88f084
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009010600103
title:
Stein på stein : L.A. Lund AS 1897-1997
creators:
1 results
1. Sørheim, Aashild
year:
1997
publisher:
L.A. Lund
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_2009010600103_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2a939b0b95f35354ceda4e1c0d88f084

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.