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 2026-09-27T20:52:53Z in 0.220 seconds.

total:

55443

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
2b22627880157adf8ecb8763ae245ec7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000085384
title:
Johan Medby – Frå «Sulitjelma-affæren» til Lillestrøm = : Johan Medby – From the Sulitjelma affair to Lillestrøm
creators:
1 results
1. Aas, Steinar
year:
2022
publisher:
Universitetsforlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. artikler
languages:
1 results
1. nor
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_000085384_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2b22627880157adf8ecb8763ae245ec7
id:
b8177c9e71b5d92517574fff02b8cba1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011040508042
title:
En aggregert analyse av flyttestrømmer i hovedstadsregionen
creators:
1 results
1. Medby, Per
year:
2002
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2011040508042_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b8177c9e71b5d92517574fff02b8cba1
id:
a87530e9e19b9e694b3fbd1cdb956a90
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011103106083
title:
Eiendomsskatten som finansieringskilde for kommunesektoren
creators:
1 results
1. Medby, Per
year:
2002
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2011103106083_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a87530e9e19b9e694b3fbd1cdb956a90
id:
6edb8d58eaa9d07bb9dc348528b93494
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009062400119
title:
Flyttekjedemekanismer : en utredning om sammenhengen mellom boligproduksjon og fordeling
creators:
1 results
1. Medby, Per
year:
2003
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2009062400119_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/6edb8d58eaa9d07bb9dc348528b93494
id:
a6a67b88fe5c3db98ee7064e12d2e17a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016020508123
title:
Prisutviklingen for selveide boliger : en empirisk analyse av perioden 1991-2000
creators:
1 results
1. Medby, Per
year:
2002
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2016020508123_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a6a67b88fe5c3db98ee7064e12d2e17a
id:
ce8acc16ff5b3a33ab03b20f3d7f1960
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013080238026
title:
Leieboerorganisering i Norge
creators:
2 results
1. Medby, Per
2. Holm, Arne
year:
2011
publisher:
Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning
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_2013080238026_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ce8acc16ff5b3a33ab03b20f3d7f1960
id:
2149ac9dac4cbd50f67b74c7f92212e3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011072205506
title:
Studentboliger - behovsanalyse : en studie av studenters boligsituasjon og behovet for studentboliger ved de norske studiestedene - 2003
creators:
2 results
1. Brattbakk, Ingar
2. Medby, Per
year:
2004
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2011072205506_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2149ac9dac4cbd50f67b74c7f92212e3
id:
ea68158c4f99ad86c823fe045dfea21e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013070305141
title:
Vekstsmerter og boligmarked : sentralisering og regional boligprisutvikling
creators:
2 results
1. Medby, Per
2. Barlindhaug, Rolf
year:
2008
publisher:
Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning
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_2013070305141_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ea68158c4f99ad86c823fe045dfea21e
id:
21384743f41b6601b01cde82b917f878
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011102808153
title:
Husleieindekser og husleiestatistikk
creators:
2 results
1. Langsether, Åsmund
2. Medby, Per
year:
2004
publisher:
Norges byggforskningsinstitutt
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_2011102808153_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/21384743f41b6601b01cde82b917f878
id:
c8266a27e074be621469d1648f62d630
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011070806003
title:
Husleieindekser og husleiestatistikk
creators:
2 results
1. Langsether, Åsmund
2. Medby, Per
year:
2004
publisher:
Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring
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_2011070806003_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c8266a27e074be621469d1648f62d630

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.