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 2026-09-27T18:03:22Z in 0.191 seconds.

total:

167501

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
d530f7041e1e5228ddb4c495f532db6d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009062304065
title:
En kvinne på slep
creators:
2 results
1. Mason, Sarah
2. Frisch, Erik
year:
2003
publisher:
Bladkompaniet
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_2009062304065_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d530f7041e1e5228ddb4c495f532db6d
id:
606e317a1b57a2e326befc05d26b2f04
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012022205045
title:
Oldtidsveger : slep og kongeveger : i Oslo og på Østlandet
creators:
1 results
1. Fønnebø, Reidar
year:
2004
publisher:
Orion
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_2012022205045_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/606e317a1b57a2e326befc05d26b2f04
id:
f16d292b24ce8c5520335793c7a4b53c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013082905060
title:
Maskinmakerne : ei historie om Nor-Reg's tilblivelse og utvikling
creators:
2 results
1. Larsen, Trygve R.
2. Embal-Larsen
year:
2009
publisher:
EmbalLarsen
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_2013082905060_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f16d292b24ce8c5520335793c7a4b53c
id:
e90c374a096b655e5dea6aa0bcad5519
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000046035
title:
De gode gavene
creators:
2 results
1. Horn, Berit Sveen
2. Nor, Andreas
year:
2025
publisher:
Hermon
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_000046035_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e90c374a096b655e5dea6aa0bcad5519
id:
ff0972027a517b872994f7dacd43dbd6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2025071107090
title:
Det store puslespillet
creators:
2 results
1. Horn, Berit Sveen
2. Nor, Andreas
year:
2021
publisher:
Hermon 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_digibok_2025071107090_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ff0972027a517b872994f7dacd43dbd6
id:
ad81a46b3e4d17d3308fe1aa34bbd731
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2025092607002
title:
Broen over avgrunnen
creators:
2 results
1. Horn, Berit Sveen
2. Nor, Andreas
year:
2021
publisher:
Hermon 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_digibok_2025092607002_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ad81a46b3e4d17d3308fe1aa34bbd731
id:
17df038ec44c2100a0587f06f1072107
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024012948027
title:
LOBAS 75-årsjubileum : 1947-2022 : Lonevåg beslagfabrikk AS
creators:
2 results
1. Vik, Bjarte
2. Lonevåg beslagfabrikk
year:
2022
publisher:
Lonevåg beslagfabrikk AS
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_2024012948027_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/17df038ec44c2100a0587f06f1072107
id:
5e57ed9f26bfda5ad3456ded605af9c5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016090108141
title:
Layer manufacturing : a challenge of the future
creators:
2 results
1. Nordisk industrifond
2. NOR-SLA
year:
1992
publisher:
Tapir
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_2016090108141_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5e57ed9f26bfda5ad3456ded605af9c5
id:
db925eb9f6a6945325006ee9f205a77a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020030607033
title:
Fra BDS til Nor-Cargo : historien om transportavdelingen til Det bergenske dampskibsselskab
creators:
2 results
1. Heggland, Per Egil
2. Kobbeltvedt, Geir
year:
2015
publisher:
Transporthistorisk forl.
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_2020030607033_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/db925eb9f6a6945325006ee9f205a77a
id:
a50a368d6a656c00bf58aeacd118f2f2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010092920019
title:
Bergvang shipping AS : Bergshav A/S - et nytt rederi med 60 års tradisjoner
creators:
3 results
1. Vevstad, Andreas
2. Bjørklund, Jarle Georg
3. Bjørklund, Jarle
year:
1990
publisher:
Rederiet
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_2010092920019_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a50a368d6a656c00bf58aeacd118f2f2

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.