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 2026-09-08T18:11:31Z in 0.197 seconds.

total:

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
328b4984586454dc9503c0c62c68d4e7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023033180004_003
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 2002 Vol. 20 Nr. 62
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2002
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2023033180004_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/328b4984586454dc9503c0c62c68d4e7
id:
05787c726e5b6be003ffc40fe0c44b6b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_lofotposten_null_null_19260227_31_34_1
title:
Lofotposten (Svolvær: 1896-)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19260227
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Nordland
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_digavis_lofotposten_null_null_19260227_31_34_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/05787c726e5b6be003ffc40fe0c44b6b
id:
5668a19a58af099cff24841e2694d24e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025072280047_006
title:
Elmagasinet (trykt utg.). 2010 Vol. 60 Nr. 6
creators:
2 results
1. NELFOs elinform
2. NELFO
year:
2010
publisher:
NELFO
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_2025072280047_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5668a19a58af099cff24841e2694d24e
id:
ffaf642aa9ea3d370e244983bbb91a6f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024073180023_002
title:
Kulturarven : magasinet med reportasjar og artiklar om vern gjennom bruk i vår tid. Juni 2008 44
creators:
2 results
1. Venner av norsk kulturarv
2. Norsk kulturarv (stiftelse)
year:
2008
publisher:
Stiftelsen Norsk kulturarv
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2024073180023_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ffaf642aa9ea3d370e244983bbb91a6f
id:
09490672186c9b309a18c69cbf51e10a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_budstikkaforaskerogb_null_null_20130111_116_9_1
title:
Budstikka (Asker og Bærum)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20130111
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Akershus
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_budstikkaforaskerogb_null_null_20130111_116_9_1-01_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/09490672186c9b309a18c69cbf51e10a
id:
0c972a18f4b5e0d51f751f6e90e22801
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_haugesundsavis_null_null_20130417_119_87_1
title:
Haugesunds Avis
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20130417
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Rogaland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_haugesundsavis_null_null_20130417_119_87_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0c972a18f4b5e0d51f751f6e90e22801
id:
8c71fa89415255d1ec45e12752cdd388
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_budstikkaforaskerogb_null_null_20130118_116_15_1
title:
Budstikka (Asker og Bærum)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20130118
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Akershus
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_budstikkaforaskerogb_null_null_20130118_116_15_1-01_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8c71fa89415255d1ec45e12752cdd388
id:
13d0c6cc9f374ed33dd38db62c0f0756
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dagbladet_null_1_20110827_143_235_1
title:
Dagbladet (Oslo: 1869-)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20110827
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Oslo
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dagbladet_null_1_20110827_143_235_1-1_001_forside/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/13d0c6cc9f374ed33dd38db62c0f0756
id:
6d0aabccb968acf211b0f7dedb796beb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024080680001_001
title:
Kulde (trykt utg.) : kuldeteknikk, air-conditioning, varmepumper = Scandinavian refrigeration and heat pump journal. 2008 Vol. 24 Nr. 1
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2008
publisher:
Kuldeforlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
4 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
4. swe
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_2024080680001_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/6d0aabccb968acf211b0f7dedb796beb
id:
9f40db42ec8b38dd891001207ffdaaeb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_aftenposten_morgen_1_20130110_154_9_2
title:
Aftenposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20130110
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Oslo
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_aftenposten_morgen_1_20130110_154_9_2-1_001_foerste/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9f40db42ec8b38dd891001207ffdaaeb

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.