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 2026-10-02T16:20:33Z in 0.914 seconds.

total:

1622827

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
adb2c27fbc2a43558053f3a80eed0b88
urn:
not reported by source
title:
NTB : informasjonsavis fra AS Norsk Telegrambyrå
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk Telegrambyrå
year:
19960101
publisher:
Norsk Telegrambyrå
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/adb2c27fbc2a43558053f3a80eed0b88
id:
868aeea713e2e2e090f422079c8aecbe
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2021022405002
title:
NTB-språket
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk telegrambyrå
year:
2007
publisher:
Kunnskapsforl. i samarbeid med NTB
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_2021022405002_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/868aeea713e2e2e090f422079c8aecbe
id:
99f0a226f1c7935b5f8dcd5636badde8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011042605045
title:
NTB utanriks : kunsten å gjenfortelja?
creators:
1 results
1. Lomheim, Sylfest
year:
2001
publisher:
Høgskolen i Agder, Avdeling for humanistiske fag
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_2011042605045_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/99f0a226f1c7935b5f8dcd5636badde8
id:
cb7464808147b268573646aa5273e49b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012070408234
title:
NTB fotoarkivet : arkivnøkkel : alfabetisk del
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1991
publisher:
Statens bibliotek- og informasjonshøgskole
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_2012070408234_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/cb7464808147b268573646aa5273e49b
id:
a6903cfad844ba7dd096a0ba69832807
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022102048040
title:
Schenker AS: 100 år i Norge : 1916-2016
creators:
2 results
1. Spurkeland, Einar
2. Hamnøy, Odd
year:
2016
publisher:
Schenker AS
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_2022102048040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a6903cfad844ba7dd096a0ba69832807
id:
1abaf9ecab365a8ed241e5a60c095e89
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011121408096
title:
Utenrikstelegrammer fra NTB : en analyse av nyhetskriterier
creators:
2 results
1. Bakke, Marit
2. Norsk telegrambyrå
year:
1970
publisher:
Institutt for presseforskning
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_2011121408096_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1abaf9ecab365a8ed241e5a60c095e89
id:
65f910e20c057b9e00629080ba80d67c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022102648132
title:
Livsverk : Bergene Holm AS 1946-2006
creators:
2 results
1. Wellberg, Finn
2. Bergene Holm AS
year:
2007
publisher:
Bergene Holm AS
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_2022102648132_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/65f910e20c057b9e00629080ba80d67c
id:
ffbfe7704839638221b8dfbb3a73b5a3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012080608110
title:
Ingeniør M.O. Schøyens bilcentraler AS - siden 1921
creators:
1 results
1. Ingeniør M.O. Schøyens bilcentraler
year:
2002
publisher:
[Ingeniør M.O. Schøyens bilsentraler]
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_2012080608110_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ffbfe7704839638221b8dfbb3a73b5a3
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:
d499062af8998bcdab5aec50fac6ee5b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2024012248074
title:
100 år med fisk : 1923-2023 : Nils Sperre AS
creators:
2 results
1. Høyvik, Knut Arne
2. Nils Sperre AS
year:
2023
publisher:
Nils Sperre AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
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_digibok_2024012248074_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d499062af8998bcdab5aec50fac6ee5b

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.