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 2026-10-01T14:01:52Z in 0.787 seconds.

total:

10363

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
bdd0612b50675c0da0a35e64fe7b748d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_000009138
title:
Digital foto. 2022 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2022
publisher:
Bonnier Publications International
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_000009138_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bdd0612b50675c0da0a35e64fe7b748d
id:
bcfcc9abefd55a55c8ac474afe0def96
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_000009076
title:
Digital foto. 2021 Nr. 19
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2021
publisher:
Bonnier Publications International
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_000009076_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bcfcc9abefd55a55c8ac474afe0def96
id:
4b54eeb3ee4a21f758377e9e8719ab0d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_000012240
title:
Digital foto. 2024 Nr. 16
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2024
publisher:
Bonnier Publications International
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_000012240_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4b54eeb3ee4a21f758377e9e8719ab0d
id:
a527c1de2e7eb263152fc8f4222f20d5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013040308067
title:
Snøfonnenes geograf : sju fortellinger, og et dikt av min mor
creators:
1 results
1. Michelet, Jon
year:
2010
publisher:
Oktober
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_2013040308067_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a527c1de2e7eb263152fc8f4222f20d5
id:
3c016f9ba33908e943922ca49b98ddb5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014021308029
title:
Snøfonnenes geograf : sju fortellinger, og et dikt av min mor
creators:
1 results
1. Michelet, Jon
year:
2009
publisher:
Oktober
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_2014021308029_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3c016f9ba33908e943922ca49b98ddb5
id:
42cdae69ae6ee9bcea5ab55d17543dac
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017110848578
title:
Digital kartografi. D. 1 : Kartografisk kommunikasjon
creators:
1 results
1. Bjørke, Jan Terje
year:
1997
publisher:
[s.n.]
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_2017110848578_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/42cdae69ae6ee9bcea5ab55d17543dac
id:
bf10af04d9b30af4fe5306ecaa128e6c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013102806008
title:
Å være digital i alle fag
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2009
publisher:
Universitetsforl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. 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_2013102806008_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bf10af04d9b30af4fe5306ecaa128e6c
id:
1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011081006034
title:
Erfaring - vår framtid : AS Bolaks 1975-2010
creators:
2 results
1. Vangsnes, Ella Marie Brekke
2. Bolaks AS
year:
2010
publisher:
AS Bolaks
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_2011081006034_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
id:
5dcd20b9a01d3ec4dfecbcc2cd02ff50
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021120348502
title:
Restart: å være digital i skole og utdanning
creators:
2 results
1. Johanson, Lisbeth Bergum
2. Karlsen, Silje Solheim
year:
2018
publisher:
Universitetsforl.
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_2021120348502_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5dcd20b9a01d3ec4dfecbcc2cd02ff50
id:
d3b1dacd0df125273d102ec1d1ccc8d5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010092909045
title:
Digital geologisk informasjon i areal- og ressursforvaltning, Namsos kommune
creators:
1 results
1. Ryghaug, Per
year:
1997
publisher:
Norges geologiske undersøkelse
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_2010092909045_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d3b1dacd0df125273d102ec1d1ccc8d5

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.