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.

ParameterRequirementJSON typeDescription
qrequiredstringFree-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
media_typeoptionalunionRestrict 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.
languageoptionalunionLanguage 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.
countyoptionalunionNorwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
year_fromoptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
year_tooptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
digital_onlyoptionalbooleanOnly items that have been digitized.
sortoptionalunionOne of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
pageoptionalintegerZero-based page index.
sizeoptionalintegerResults per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
limitoptionalintegerGateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
offsetoptionalintegerNumber 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.

Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
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.
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.
Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.
Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
Type: integer. Zero-based page index.
Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-09-11T18:25:14Z in 0.301 seconds.

total:
73717
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    2b0a0904f4e0afa8bdfabade20c42199
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022062083078_001
    title:
    Årsrapport. 2020
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Istad AS
    year:
    2020
    publisher:
    Istad
    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_2022062083078_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2b0a0904f4e0afa8bdfabade20c42199
  2. id:
    0e860b3d6796d206fb2a920fe3e299b7
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022102483504_001
    title:
    Årsrapport. 2021
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Istad AS
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Istad
    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_2022102483504_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/0e860b3d6796d206fb2a920fe3e299b7
  3. id:
    bd6272bf6ba58859a4366476d622cced
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026042283015_001
    title:
    Nett no (Fosnavåg). 2025 Vol. 13 Nr. 1
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2025
    publisher:
    Bakkar & berg media
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    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_digitidsskrift_2026042283015_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/bd6272bf6ba58859a4366476d622cced
  4. id:
    e4e34b5d95e8182bf37a6c16ca642819
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020091707546
    title:
    Hjerteboka : angina, hjerteflimmer, undersøkelser, medisiner, operasjoner, kosthold, sexliv, risiko : informasjon og råd om de vanligste hjertesykdommer
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Istad, Helge
    year:
    2013
    publisher:
    Opera 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_2020091707546_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/e4e34b5d95e8182bf37a6c16ca642819
  5. id:
    27cc277895c8f5a57458d9c5e7c677b8
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009072300116
    title:
    Delegert myndighet fra Gud
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Istad, Jan Erik
    year:
    1990
    publisher:
    Skogheim
    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_2009072300116_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/27cc277895c8f5a57458d9c5e7c677b8
  6. id:
    4ccaa5be03bda5ed317d2eb069a8554f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018061907532
    title:
    Et nett av løgner
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Ålovsrud, Kristin S. (Kristin Skulstad)
    year:
    2015
    publisher:
    Schibsted
    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_2018061907532_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/4ccaa5be03bda5ed317d2eb069a8554f
  7. id:
    8ff33e1d1b78c37daaa84264f8a23ddd
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018070205082
    title:
    Use case-samling : use case knyttet til nettforvaltningsprosessen
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Taxt, Henning
    2. Istad, Maren
    year:
    2014
    publisher:
    SINTEF energi
    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_2018070205082_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8ff33e1d1b78c37daaa84264f8a23ddd
  8. id:
    80d7661c357f607e84c08062d572c24e
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000017126
    title:
    As Far as my Eyes can Sea - the Expedition Exhibition
    creators:

    9 results

    1. As Far as my Eyes can Sea - the Expedition Exhibition Arendal 2021
    2. Nyaas, Tone Lyngstad
    3. Skatvedt, Eli
    4. Hareide, Dag
    5. Scharnick, Janina
    6. Sølberg, Stine
    7. Aars, Emma
    8. Aslaksen, Åse Kamilla Spjelkavik
    9. Igland, Elin
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Bomuldsfabriken kunsthall
    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_pliktmonografi_000017126_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/80d7661c357f607e84c08062d572c24e
  9. id:
    be25295dab015cc842f1e1a1f0ab16f3
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000017126
    title:
    As Far as my Eyes can Sea - The Expedition exhibition
    creators:

    9 results

    1. As Far as my Eyes can Sea - the Expedition Exhibition Arendal 2021
    2. Nyaas, Tone Lyngstad
    3. Skatvedt, Eli
    4. Hareide, Dag
    5. Scharnick, Janina
    6. Sølberg, Stine
    7. Aars, Emma
    8. Aslaksen, Åse Kamilla Spjelkavik
    9. Igland, Elin
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Bomuldsfabriken kunsthall
    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_pliktmonografi_000017126_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/be25295dab015cc842f1e1a1f0ab16f3
  10. id:
    0be1559370d8da7279276906add1a741
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020031848015
    title:
    Statens nett : systemutvikling i norsk elforsyning 1890-2007
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Skjold, Dag Ove
    2. Thue, Lars
    year:
    2007
    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_2020031848015_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/0be1559370d8da7279276906add1a741
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
Will you use the result in generated code?

Open the same result as JSON

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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

  1. Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
  2. Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
  3. 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.