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 2026-09-25T17:06:20Z in 0.231 seconds.

total:

20896

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
163d1c27f10df4e3dfa9bcf60719e9f2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016031048036
title:
Nøktern drift - framsynt satsing : Mass Hus A/S - 90 år med handel og reiseliv
creators:
2 results
1. Hesjedal, Arne
2. Mass Hus A/S
year:
2011
publisher:
[Mass Hus AS]
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
Utlandet
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_2016031048036_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/163d1c27f10df4e3dfa9bcf60719e9f2
id:
ac4757f4f2e2bb45f79ce039482953e4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018020548143
title:
Hardanger i kunsten : 66 kunstnarar gjennom to hundre år
creators:
2 results
1. Hus, Oddmund
2. Hardanger folkeminnelag
year:
2009
publisher:
Selja forl.
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_2018020548143_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ac4757f4f2e2bb45f79ce039482953e4
id:
2bdaceb01959f354ade2757628651859
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016070548067
title:
Halldor O. Opedal : folkeminnesamlaren og forteljarane hans
creators:
2 results
1. Hus, Oddmund
2. Hardanger folkeminnelag
year:
2002
publisher:
Hardanger folkeminnelag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2016070548067_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2bdaceb01959f354ade2757628651859
id:
a2416d9bf48c2d6960756e0f069c181a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009062900051
title:
Ljos og kraft i Eidfjord og Ullensvang
creators:
2 results
1. Hus, Oddmund
2. Indre Hardanger kraftlag
year:
2001
publisher:
Indre Hardanger kraftlag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2009062900051_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a2416d9bf48c2d6960756e0f069c181a
id:
3d57f32f963d856f8489a62137ccc232
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020100807813
title:
Motorkøyretøy i Eidfjord 1919-1960 : ei historisk biletbok
creators:
4 results
1. Hereid, Conrad
2. Garen, Gunnar
3. Midtun, Geir
4. Lægreid, Oddmund
year:
2016
publisher:
Eidfjord automobillag
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_2020100807813_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3d57f32f963d856f8489a62137ccc232
id:
607a1e6d6dbe928a30ba148f33235737
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2021062581007_001
title:
For hus og hjem (Kristiania : 1886). 1913-14 Vol. 29
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1913
publisher:
Nanna With
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
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_digitidsskrift_2021062581007_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/607a1e6d6dbe928a30ba148f33235737
id:
b845f360022033db7ee44a0056c3178a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009010900019
title:
Kinsarvik ungdomsskule 1969-1999
creators:
3 results
1. Hus, Oddmund
2. Kinsarvik ungdomsskule
3. Hardanger folkeminnelag
year:
2001
publisher:
Hardanger folkeminnelag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2009010900019_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b845f360022033db7ee44a0056c3178a
id:
2d02beb94b14af0a48a26315d1c1f928
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023081006025
title:
Ein SABBA klubb : SK Vedavåg Karmøy 1967-2017
creators:
4 results
1. Øren, Kjell Einar
2. Hereid, Ragna Marie
3. SK Vedavåg Karmøy
4. Skorpe, Geir Harald
year:
2017
publisher:
SK Vedavåg Karmøy
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_2023081006025_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2d02beb94b14af0a48a26315d1c1f928
id:
e1580e8a0d051012241493a811e1cada
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011090206091
title:
Hardingmålet : ord og vendingar og stil
creators:
2 results
1. Opedal, Halldor O.
2. Hardanger folkeminnelag
year:
2005
publisher:
Hardanger folkeminnelag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2011090206091_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e1580e8a0d051012241493a811e1cada
id:
d9f93b2d666f7af2aa920a8bbd2ef1f0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025051680009_027
title:
Alle kvinners blad : hvori optatt Hus og have. 1948 Nr. Jul
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1948
publisher:
Gyldendal
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_2025051680009_027_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d9f93b2d666f7af2aa920a8bbd2ef1f0

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.