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 2026-09-28T06:47:45Z in 0.288 seconds.

total:

4488

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
5e3af5977ef16ab2fb73ab2e86802995
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2018110181254_001
title:
Årbok (Bymuseet i Bergen) : Gamle Bergen. 2016
creators:
2 results
1. Bymuseet i Bergen
2. Gamle Bergen museum
year:
2016
publisher:
[Bymuseet i Bergen]
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
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_digitidsskrift_2018110181254_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5e3af5977ef16ab2fb73ab2e86802995
id:
2a8aeef5ee1c6021f99cdc49941a8b62
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025070380050_005
title:
Byliv (Bergen) : Bergen. 2019 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. Bergen sentrum AS
year:
2019
publisher:
Bergen sentrum AS
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_2025070380050_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2a8aeef5ee1c6021f99cdc49941a8b62
id:
c2a4a01f738768baea7b002ff2e03717
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022030307508
title:
Bergen
creators:
2 results
1. Kvamme, Paal
2. Édigraphie
year:
2006
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_2022030307508_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c2a4a01f738768baea7b002ff2e03717
id:
1bb9b0d6f00b748827879f2b2215ef5b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023120780008_015
title:
Bergen byavis. 2006 Nr. 28
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2006
publisher:
Avisprodukter
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_2023120780008_015_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1bb9b0d6f00b748827879f2b2215ef5b
id:
a2b0021ac1c10d3029dcb77e793feaf5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023120680031_002
title:
Bergen byavis. 2003 Nr. 32
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2003
publisher:
Avisprodukter
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_2023120680031_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a2b0021ac1c10d3029dcb77e793feaf5
id:
e14c6b056ce5857436f9f62b8f775dca
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024010380041_004
title:
Bergen byavis. 2004 Nr. 38
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2004
publisher:
Avisprodukter
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_2024010380041_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e14c6b056ce5857436f9f62b8f775dca
id:
2db3e827efaf858453d16a13685b46fc
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011011003047
title:
Bergen byleksikon
creators:
5 results
1. Hartvedt, Gunnar Hagen
2. Eek, Øystein
3. Reisegg, Øyvind
4. Skreien, Norvall
5. Tvedt, Knut Are
year:
2009
publisher:
Kunnskapsforl.
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_2011011003047_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2db3e827efaf858453d16a13685b46fc
id:
95f5c1cb92f744c16dc0bfbd94d15ddc
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dagenbergen_null_null_20160215_98_38_1
title:
Dagen (Bergen)
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20160215
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:
NB
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dagenbergen_null_null_20160215_98_38_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/95f5c1cb92f744c16dc0bfbd94d15ddc
id:
472fc2d533901436dd4db9ce327b3e52
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025031080048_004
title:
Natt & dag (Bergen) : Bergen. 2012 Nr. 11
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2012
publisher:
Innovation media
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_2025031080048_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/472fc2d533901436dd4db9ce327b3e52
id:
1507d5a1a05e20e614525111a95eb95f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011100406024
title:
Tilgjengelighet for hørselshemmede i Hordaland
creators:
4 results
1. Bergen døvesenter
2. Hordaland døves fylkeslag
3. Hørselshemmedes landsforbund Hordaland fylkeslag
4. Bergen hørselslag
year:
2004
publisher:
Døvesenteret
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_2011100406024_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1507d5a1a05e20e614525111a95eb95f

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.