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 2026-09-27T16:33:08Z in 0.212 seconds.

total:

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
4c317035eb0931036f61b21967768e55
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010101820024
title:
Plays. 5 : Brand ; Emperor and Galilean
creators:
1 results
1. Ibsen, Henrik
year:
1986
publisher:
Methuen
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2010101820024_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4c317035eb0931036f61b21967768e55
id:
66302f22670efd20c8364dc9eb7f4499
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009041504118
title:
Invasive species and timber import from Russia : review of current knowledge by Nordic experts
creators:
2 results
1. Økland, Bjørn
2. Bakke, Alf
year:
2000
publisher:
Norsk institutt for skogforskning
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. eng
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_2009041504118_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/66302f22670efd20c8364dc9eb7f4499
id:
e8e30326aaf59b19606b4b3618c794a0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010040923003
title:
The Oxford Ibsen. Volume IV : The league of youth ; Emperor and Galilean
creators:
3 results
1. Ibsen, Henrik
2. McFarlane, James Walter
3. Orton, Graham
year:
1963
publisher:
Oxford University Press
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2010040923003_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e8e30326aaf59b19606b4b3618c794a0
id:
21af4df3633aa7a2dba123c687ebe863
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_plikttidsskrift_dc636cc1-c0dd-4da2-8e10-69e27c259711
title:
Kjemi : prosjekt, prosess, produkt. 2023 Vol. 83 Nr. 5
creators:
3 results
1. Norsk kjemisk selskap
2. Norske sivilingeniørers forening
3. Norges ingeniørorganisasjon - NITO
year:
2023
publisher:
Media Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_plikttidsskrift_dc636cc1-c0dd-4da2-8e10-69e27c259711_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/21af4df3633aa7a2dba123c687ebe863
id:
f9365c19e798ede6253b97a45d455842
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025021280027_003
title:
Computerworld (Oslo : trykt utg.). 2011 Vol. 29 36
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2011
publisher:
Computer Communications
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_2025021280027_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f9365c19e798ede6253b97a45d455842
id:
ea0daeb3bb468a6f93754d56d5a5c066
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_ostlendingen_null_null_20110923_111_220_1
title:
Østlendingen
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20110923
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Innlandet
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_ostlendingen_null_null_20110923_111_220_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ea0daeb3bb468a6f93754d56d5a5c066
id:
38d54bcaaca7758a9fb8f134e7ae3e5c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_vestnytt_null_null_20000302_15_26_1
title:
VestNytt
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20000302
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_vestnytt_null_null_20000302_15_26_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/38d54bcaaca7758a9fb8f134e7ae3e5c
id:
9a39157c69ee5cd3779ea889caac4202
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025121280005_001
title:
Norwegian shipping news. 1967 Vol. 23 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Selvig, Per
year:
1967
publisher:
Selvig Publishing
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_2025121280005_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9a39157c69ee5cd3779ea889caac4202
id:
eed1ccf0eaf71016edba250c0263d9d3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_sunnmorsposten_null_null_20120921_130_221_1
title:
Sunnmørsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20120921
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Møre og Romsdal
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_digavis_sunnmorsposten_null_null_20120921_130_221_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/eed1ccf0eaf71016edba250c0263d9d3
id:
be412c636a506de176e436b85be77dc0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2015062909044
title:
Høyrer du? : høyrelære VK1 og VK2, musikk/dans/drama : Kva høyrer du? : arbeidsbok med 2 CD-ar
creators:
1 results
1. Shetelig, Gro
year:
2001
publisher:
Gyldendal undervisning
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_2015062909044_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/be412c636a506de176e436b85be77dc0

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.