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 2026-10-02T15:42:46Z in 0.233 seconds.

total:

176

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
632f04a61e1b29a206b152313583e8f4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011102708184
title:
Illustrasjonshefte : bokmål og nynorsk : 1920 ord
creators:
2 results
1. Lystad, Håkon
2. Norge Utdanningsdirektoratet
year:
2004
publisher:
Utdanningsdirektoratet
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. nno
2. nob
3. mul
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_2011102708184_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/632f04a61e1b29a206b152313583e8f4
id:
445fc1eee75a18e71dd68161f50fc2e0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tromso_null_null_19560913_59_212_1
title:
Tromsø
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19560913
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Troms
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_tromso_null_null_19560913_59_212_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/445fc1eee75a18e71dd68161f50fc2e0
id:
4a0b48366795e7341e6eb901b56e6131
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024090948110
title:
Minecraft byggespesial : hemmelighetene du må kjenne for å bli en mesterbygger!
creators:
1 results
1. Qvist, Ann
year:
2024
publisher:
Bonnier Publications International AS
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_2024090948110_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4a0b48366795e7341e6eb901b56e6131
id:
939611b10ebcc4253f9c83663c88c95d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012112906000
title:
Hvordan vi lurer hverandre : tre dialoger
creators:
1 results
1. Nerdrum, Odd
year:
2007
publisher:
Juritzen 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_2012112906000_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/939611b10ebcc4253f9c83663c88c95d
id:
b4012b179bfa8c0aa4c284fea47f0f89
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19540213_41_37_1
title:
Porsgrunns Dagblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19540213
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Telemark
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_porsgrunnsdagblad_null_null_19540213_41_37_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b4012b179bfa8c0aa4c284fea47f0f89
id:
69f7963ef1f533040437ad5d1fd25703
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_agderposten_null_null_19600109_87_7_1
title:
Agderposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19600109
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Agder
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_digavis_agderposten_null_null_19600109_87_7_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/69f7963ef1f533040437ad5d1fd25703
id:
9dc852050e698b158382438a681225a2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tiden_null_null_19191003_14_230_1
title:
Tiden (Arendal: 1906-1941, 1945-)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19191003
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Agder
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_tiden_null_null_19191003_14_230_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9dc852050e698b158382438a681225a2
id:
1dd485cba539d7468c9f6903fc6248b4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022111880012_007
title:
Elektro-industri : tidskrift for kraftanlæg og elektricitetsfordeling, elektroteknik samt radio. 1922 Vol. 4 Nr. 12
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1922
publisher:
Elektro-industri
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_2022111880012_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1dd485cba539d7468c9f6903fc6248b4
id:
41c2d67c6693a9f40941c837378d690b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_nordtrondelagognordenfjeldsktidende_null_null_19221019_13_222_1
title:
Nord-Trøndelag og Nordenfjeldsk Tidende
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19221019
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Trøndelag
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_nordtrondelagognordenfjeldsktidende_null_null_19221019_13_222_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/41c2d67c6693a9f40941c837378d690b
id:
9c94da96bd47985673bee719e6a5b684
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_hordalandfolkeblad_null_null_19710910_71_67_1
title:
Hordaland Folkeblad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19710910
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
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_digavis_hordalandfolkeblad_null_null_19710910_71_67_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9c94da96bd47985673bee719e6a5b684

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.