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 2026-09-24T13:45:52Z in 0.191 seconds.

total:

509

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
1e9e05d137ee4805638dea531b7f5828
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010052106040
title:
Health care systems in transition : the search for efficiency
creators:
1 results
1. OECD
year:
1990
publisher:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2010052106040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1e9e05d137ee4805638dea531b7f5828
id:
c99a92fe5874ff8990ccadfb7f394a76
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018022309508
title:
The rise and fall of Ethiopian empires : an analysis of state capacity and legitimacy as determinants of regime-breakdown
creators:
1 results
1. Lohne, Olav
year:
1994
publisher:
[O.Lohne]
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_2018022309508_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c99a92fe5874ff8990ccadfb7f394a76
id:
a29dd4177e47189d5e2e53817e0c91e0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025052280083_005
title:
Bedre gardsdrift. 2019 Vol. 39 Nr. 5
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2019
publisher:
Ask media
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_2025052280083_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a29dd4177e47189d5e2e53817e0c91e0
id:
a6755a4035bb110a2ec346bed4fff115
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_indreakershusblad_null_null_20160615_109_68_1
title:
Indre Akershus Blad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20160615
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_indreakershusblad_null_null_20160615_109_68_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a6755a4035bb110a2ec346bed4fff115
id:
b3d888dee21b40a2ebb0e14f6974c68f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017070509520
title:
The Anglo-Egyptian occupation of the Sobat and Pibor valleys, 1898-1933
creators:
1 results
1. Jal, Gabriel Giet
year:
1991
publisher:
Centre for Development Studies, University of Bergen
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2017070509520_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b3d888dee21b40a2ebb0e14f6974c68f
id:
f76f6564cb56c552c535a92abe4c24ca
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023022483019_001
title:
Moss (Jeløy rotary klubb). 2022
creators:
1 results
1. Jeløy rotary klubb
year:
2022
publisher:
Jeløy rotary klubb
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_2023022483019_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f76f6564cb56c552c535a92abe4c24ca
id:
c982de382de0c2754096d131c1bd0848
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024052380052_001
title:
RENAS : et medlemsmagasin fra Norges ledende EE-returselskap. 2013 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. RENAS
year:
2013
publisher:
RENAS
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_2024052380052_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c982de382de0c2754096d131c1bd0848
id:
d35ce238d67dae970dfb6822bd7f6879
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024030680077_004
title:
RENAS : et medlemsmagasin fra Norges ledende EE-returselskap. 2013 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. RENAS
year:
2013
publisher:
RENAS
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_2024030680077_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d35ce238d67dae970dfb6822bd7f6879
id:
71f825274c8b77a1f98322d67a0cfd4a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2012100381045_001
title:
Statoil. 1988 Vol. 10 Nr. 3
creators:
1 results
1. Statoil
year:
1988
publisher:
Statoil
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_digitidsskrift_2012100381045_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/71f825274c8b77a1f98322d67a0cfd4a
id:
1bb39d4248a027091809e4e1a0316284
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024030680077_006
title:
RENAS : et medlemsmagasin fra Norges ledende EE-returselskap. 2014 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. RENAS
year:
2014
publisher:
RENAS
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_2024030680077_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1bb39d4248a027091809e4e1a0316284

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.