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 2026-10-06T18:34:58Z in 0.379 seconds.

total:

47059

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
103462e7394dfd85efa56332aa2e7741
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008112500071
title:
Polioens historie i Norge : sykdommen, samfunnet og pasienten
creators:
1 results
1. Lobben, Bjørn
year:
2001
publisher:
Unipub
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_2008112500071_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/103462e7394dfd85efa56332aa2e7741
id:
b4a72cb885a5a37d57ba27d75eafe89a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021061748537
title:
Knut Guttormsen Tolpinrud og Birgit Olsdtr. Syversrudplass : slekt i nåtid og fortid
creators:
1 results
1. Lian, Aud
year:
1988
publisher:
[A. Lian]
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_2021061748537_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b4a72cb885a5a37d57ba27d75eafe89a
id:
168fb17bb266c2c2f195cabe1f08eb03
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011121408050
title:
For ingen gjelder det å være
creators:
1 results
1. Svisdahl, Knut
year:
2006
publisher:
Kolofon
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_2011121408050_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/168fb17bb266c2c2f195cabe1f08eb03
id:
17211d6d2db9fd2153b9269d2b5a6523
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014071006133
title:
Jerntid : fabrikksystem og arbeidere ved Christiania spigerverk og Kværner brug fra om lag 1890 til 1940
creators:
1 results
1. Kjeldstadli, Knut
year:
1988
publisher:
[K. Kjeldstadli]
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_2014071006133_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/17211d6d2db9fd2153b9269d2b5a6523
id:
79d0321dce60f06d911bc2e647c478f3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000005732
title:
Rett praksis : lærebok i norsk juridisk metode
creators:
1 results
1. Bergo, Knut
year:
2022
publisher:
Fagbokforlaget
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_000005732_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/79d0321dce60f06d911bc2e647c478f3
id:
74ffacddd679455f439dfc9c3b6a407b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000025881
title:
Rett praksis : lærebok i norsk juridisk metode
creators:
1 results
1. Bergo, Knut
year:
2022
publisher:
Fagbokforlaget
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_000025881_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/74ffacddd679455f439dfc9c3b6a407b
id:
58adbe89b3d6c4747019088d9d080bec
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014052108246
title:
Motstandskampen i Modum og Sigdal : 1940-1945
creators:
1 results
1. Fosse, Knut
year:
1984
publisher:
[K. Kronen]
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_2014052108246_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/58adbe89b3d6c4747019088d9d080bec
id:
d61be9a36fc7f3bec1956782afe706ae
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011092208120
title:
Slekten Moestue
creators:
1 results
1. Moestue, Sven
year:
1964
publisher:
[s.n.]
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_2011092208120_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d61be9a36fc7f3bec1956782afe706ae
id:
d94130cc9c3e55a3492fdeef7a055a62
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012050306027
title:
Stampeboken : en bok om slekten til snekkermestrene Peter Holmer, Hans Rasch og Hans Stamp som kom fra Hertugdømmet Slesvig til Bergstaden Kongsberg på 1700-tallet
creators:
1 results
1. Ronold, Knut Olav
year:
2005
publisher:
[K.O. Ronold]
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_2012050306027_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d94130cc9c3e55a3492fdeef7a055a62
id:
bbf430be0e40a9cad6250097f70b61bf
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007041101025
title:
Bedriftslære
creators:
1 results
1. Holt, Knut
year:
1962
publisher:
Aschehoug
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_2007041101025_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bbf430be0e40a9cad6250097f70b61bf

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.