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 2026-09-26T02:00:59Z in 0.409 seconds.

total:

2830

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
019171a4c8cb1096574fa6a3478658d9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025022080010_001
title:
Go to gate : flytogmagasinet. 2012 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Flytoget AS
year:
2012
publisher:
Flytoget AS
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_2025022080010_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/019171a4c8cb1096574fa6a3478658d9
id:
f42d7ff11a185025b41ada94b18eeaf1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022061580041_013
title:
Bok & samfunn (trykt utg.) : fagbladet for bokbransjen. 1991 Vol. 112 Nr. 13
creators:
2 results
1. Den Norske bokhandlerforening
2. Bok & samfunn AS
year:
1991
publisher:
Bok & samfunn AS
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_2022061580041_013_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f42d7ff11a185025b41ada94b18eeaf1
id:
0e38929d666c119d37ba03a172fbc82f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2021070983002_001
title:
Tuntreet : organ for Studentsamfunnet i Ås. 2007 Vol. 62 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Studentsamfunnet i Ås
year:
2007
publisher:
Studentsamsamfunnet i Ås
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:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2021070983002_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0e38929d666c119d37ba03a172fbc82f
id:
fa09b10156c5249ee4d0c30f071aad8e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007110804020
title:
Oppgavekurs i kontorarbeid
creators:
3 results
1. Johannessen, Reidun
2. Spjelkavik, Unn
3. Langkaas, Brit
year:
1992
publisher:
NKS fjernundervisning
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_2007110804020_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/fa09b10156c5249ee4d0c30f071aad8e
id:
8c2bda6e864c2cd5efc496a08a384e0d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20100518_108_110_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20100518
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20100518_108_110_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8c2bda6e864c2cd5efc496a08a384e0d
id:
a0184b4366b8ec70ed70d0d2051f4180
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001003_98_228_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20001003
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001003_98_228_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a0184b4366b8ec70ed70d0d2051f4180
id:
45c40e10a6cc6e5d2acd4d07aeda961d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001031_98_252_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20001031
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001031_98_252_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/45c40e10a6cc6e5d2acd4d07aeda961d
id:
5dc18e6f757aa82aa662e0c356de4b10
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001024_98_246_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20001024
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001024_98_246_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5dc18e6f757aa82aa662e0c356de4b10
id:
ae2eecc240e5c563cb8148e7044da1f2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001114_98_264_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20001114
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20001114_98_264_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ae2eecc240e5c563cb8148e7044da1f2
id:
3176274a4099a719431e8f8b1fab72ff
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_laagendalsposten_null_null_20110919_108_216_1
title:
Laagendalsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20110919
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Buskerud
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_laagendalsposten_null_null_20110919_108_216_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3176274a4099a719431e8f8b1fab72ff

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.