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 2026-09-23T17:56:52Z in 0.191 seconds.

total:

62703

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
158d4cce52457b003f40fcb7fa5d3233
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009091501009
title:
Hendelser og slektskap : minner og overleveringer : tilegnet Bjørnseth-slekten og Plate-slekten i Glåmdalen og Namdalen
creators:
1 results
1. Lindal, Hans
year:
1979
publisher:
[s.n.]
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_2009091501009_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/158d4cce52457b003f40fcb7fa5d3233
id:
80a452c2bc27b9426ce679821ab714db
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009091503006
title:
Olg a Lindal : en Fortælling
creators:
1 results
1. Eegholm, Camilla
year:
1866
publisher:
Gyldendal
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. dan
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009091503006_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/80a452c2bc27b9426ce679821ab714db
id:
4d8cb23de556ba9b518255c9e4a517a4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007060701030
title:
Eget hus : bygge nytt, bygge til, bygge om, vedlikehold
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1976
publisher:
Teknologisk forl.
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_2007060701030_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4d8cb23de556ba9b518255c9e4a517a4
id:
93fb018ed55887e0e00ec069c45dda67
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023072448052
title:
Land sag & høvleri AS : med trelast i 100 år : jubileumshefte
creators:
2 results
1. Kompelien, Kåre
2. Land sag og høvleri AS
year:
2022
publisher:
Land sag & høvleri AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Innlandet
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_2023072448052_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/93fb018ed55887e0e00ec069c45dda67
id:
2f795201b9bebe0a827a94d9e86310ae
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014102007540
title:
Laksefeber : nordnorsk fiskeoppdrett gjennom 35 år
creators:
2 results
1. Johnsen, Geir
2. Lindal, Mona
year:
2006
publisher:
Orkana
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_2014102007540_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2f795201b9bebe0a827a94d9e86310ae
id:
1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011081006034
title:
Erfaring - vår framtid : AS Bolaks 1975-2010
creators:
2 results
1. Vangsnes, Ella Marie Brekke
2. Bolaks AS
year:
2010
publisher:
AS Bolaks
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_digibok_2011081006034_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1a5d0b8649f967cf47981e7104926f1c
id:
0b56676566bf32037ac6b86aa6f56d51
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020042248106
title:
Vi skulle vært løver
creators:
2 results
1. Baugstø, Line
2. Lindal, Ida Gowers
year:
2019
publisher:
Aschehoug
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_2020042248106_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0b56676566bf32037ac6b86aa6f56d51
id:
97464dc6d8a5d629796828c825036830
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021120148526
title:
Vi skulle vært løver
creators:
2 results
1. Baugstø, Line
2. Lindal, Ida Gowers
year:
2018
publisher:
Aschehoug
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_2021120148526_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/97464dc6d8a5d629796828c825036830
id:
9e189ca3e07e3181d99bd70eeda6de25
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013012506037
title:
Det organiserte kulturliv : en studie av sosio-kulturelle aktiviteter og sammenkomster
creators:
3 results
1. Lindal, Olav
2. Rosenlund, Lennart
3. Ås, Dagfinn
year:
1976
publisher:
[Kulturprosjektet, Rogaland distriktshøgskole]
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_2013012506037_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9e189ca3e07e3181d99bd70eeda6de25
id:
5b77f544a81cb5fda79ac771ae4bedc4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011062106106
title:
Folkehøgskolens stilling i skoleverket
creators:
2 results
1. Lindal, Olav
2. Norge Kirke- og undervisningsdepartementet
year:
1976
publisher:
Universitetsforlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011062106106_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5b77f544a81cb5fda79ac771ae4bedc4

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.