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 2026-09-24T08:02:20Z in 0.209 seconds.

total:

509555

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
7831a0340295b5ff482d67b5fb2e7408
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015071308201
title:
Lokalhistorikeren Arvid Østby. II
creators:
5 results
1. Østby, Arvid
2. Evensen, Magne
3. Østby, Erik
4. Stabell, Inger Johanne
5. Østby, Bjørn
year:
1999
publisher:
Hamar historielag
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_2015071308201_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7831a0340295b5ff482d67b5fb2e7408
id:
37205c4ee3878ad11b490adb87cbb2fd
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Olsen, Ivar - Moelv Systembygg (Olav Østby-Deglum)
creators:
1 results
1. Ringsaker Blad
year:
not reported by source
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. bilder
languages:
No results.
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/37205c4ee3878ad11b490adb87cbb2fd
id:
6700ce8705d05d49415fe7c7af6a31af
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021062548614
title:
Slekten efter Gulbrand Christophersen fra Rælingen : Edvardsen, Gjestvang, Gulbrandsen, Hagebråten, Halvorsen, Tomter, Østby
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Per Bredo
year:
1972
publisher:
Forfatteren
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_2021062548614_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/6700ce8705d05d49415fe7c7af6a31af
id:
7396c6e6d30e1d390f3dd69fae56f22b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018032148080
title:
Stamtavle over Østbyslekten og beslektede familier fra Kykle Gunnarstorp - Østby og Berg i Skjeberg
creators:
1 results
1. Veel, Haakon A.
year:
1938
publisher:
not reported by source
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_2018032148080_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7396c6e6d30e1d390f3dd69fae56f22b
id:
76835991e843d23b5abfe55356e98d24
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013072506053
title:
Skihistorien på Østby
creators:
4 results
1. Haugen, Roald
2. Pedersen, Per Iver
3. Vingelsgaard, Roar
4. Trysil-Knut skimuseum
year:
2009
publisher:
Trysil-Knut skimuseum
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_2013072506053_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/76835991e843d23b5abfe55356e98d24
id:
ab64382e95f1b9af1c58b0e9cd1010f5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_AE2000184566_0001
title:
Olsen, Ivar - Moelv Systembygg (Olav Østby-Deglum) [bilde 001]
creators:
2 results
1. Ringsaker Blad
2. Anno Museum avd. Domkirkeodden
year:
not reported by source
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. bilder
languages:
No results.
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_AE2000184566_0001_F_01/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ab64382e95f1b9af1c58b0e9cd1010f5
id:
4b93fc6c98874a1d39e283c1f7ecc512
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010102908017
title:
Merverdiskatten og dens virkninger
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Ivar
year:
1965
publisher:
Næringsøkonomisk forskningsinstitutt
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_2010102908017_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4b93fc6c98874a1d39e283c1f7ecc512
id:
788b3c6abafef88abddd15da0698aa17
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Opplegg til en konsumfordelingsmodell for Norge
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Ivar
year:
1964
publisher:
Statistisk sentralbyrå
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/788b3c6abafef88abddd15da0698aa17
id:
4b8e74ceeb59013713c1f171cecc61b2
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Lønnsstrukturundersøkelser i varehandelen
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Ivar
year:
1964
publisher:
Statistisk sentralbyrå
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4b8e74ceeb59013713c1f171cecc61b2
id:
e998ca4f79046c87a0b483e3daab4309
urn:
not reported by source
title:
The function and control of human granulopoiesis : studies by mathematical modeling
creators:
1 results
1. Østby, Ivar
year:
2003
publisher:
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e998ca4f79046c87a0b483e3daab4309

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.