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 2026-09-26T05:24:55Z in 0.187 seconds.

total:

264426

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
a3189ca39b28fe1496fc3bff34aaaae7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007082400050
title:
Sjur Lothe skipshandel A/S : 1891-1991 : 100 år
creators:
1 results
1. Sjur Lothe Skipshandel
year:
1991
publisher:
Skipshandelen
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_2007082400050_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a3189ca39b28fe1496fc3bff34aaaae7
id:
3856e0648887de5e6949e14d31bdc6d2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017092668029
title:
Herborg og Vigleik : skodespel i 4 akter av Sjur Lothe
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Sjur
year:
1955
publisher:
Det norske teatret
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_digibok_2017092668029_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3856e0648887de5e6949e14d31bdc6d2
id:
876335f4e5bce57562761b33b354b13d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015091848193
title:
Herborg og Vigleik : skodespel i 4 akter av Sjur Lothe
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Sjur
year:
1954
publisher:
Det norske teatret i samarbeid med Riksteatret
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_digibok_2015091848193_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/876335f4e5bce57562761b33b354b13d
id:
bc8844fe7148883bcbf39a758021c6ee
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015091848192
title:
Herborg og Vigleik : skodespel i 4 akter av Sjur Lothe
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Sjur
year:
1955
publisher:
Det norske teatret i samarbeid med Riksteatret
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_digibok_2015091848192_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bc8844fe7148883bcbf39a758021c6ee
id:
89b41d0719db044710cf29b1845217a6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000043066
title:
Narrative ethics: Negotiating values : essays in honour of Jakob Lothe
creators:
2 results
1. Guanio-Uluru, Lykke
2. Davis, Colin
year:
2025
publisher:
Novus forlag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
4 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
4. nno
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_000043066_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/89b41d0719db044710cf29b1845217a6
id:
0e3df0d54bdf7833f733aafca68e2694
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021080248565
title:
Fjorden cowboys : går det - så går det : Joar Førde, Leif Einar Lothe
creators:
2 results
1. Wærness, Arild
2. Meisler, Bjørnar K. (Bjørnar Kristoffer)
year:
2016
publisher:
Havfruo forl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
2 results
1. nob
2. nno
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_2021080248565_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0e3df0d54bdf7833f733aafca68e2694
id:
f5e7b0c3204038e03f2e97182dfb0d40
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2026031348022
title:
Ørsta bruk A.S. 1914-1974
creators:
1 results
1. Moe, John P.
year:
1974
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2026031348022_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f5e7b0c3204038e03f2e97182dfb0d40
id:
d0590198ade51ca0e3cd38469286e87f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000039764
title:
Barnet er som skåret ut av tung silke : dikt
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Ingvild
year:
2024
publisher:
Kolon forlag
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_000039764_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d0590198ade51ca0e3cd38469286e87f
id:
7b3f2b3f3167b5ca8bdbc1d74178e234
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018021248020
title:
Bølger : Digte
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Sjur
year:
1926
publisher:
Some
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_2018021248020_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7b3f2b3f3167b5ca8bdbc1d74178e234
id:
dd522eccc90f23fdd4f7eee7addf8c17
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021072848509
title:
Etikk i litteratur og film
creators:
1 results
1. Lothe, Jakob
year:
2016
publisher:
Pax
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2021072848509_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/dd522eccc90f23fdd4f7eee7addf8c17

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.