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 2026-09-26T20:02:55Z in 0.289 seconds.

total:

819832

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
edb34d5de31bff6c889dce60ca5b0419
urn:
not reported by source
title:
En horisontal logikk : Ulsmåg skole, Bergen : Ola Roald AS arkitektur
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2016
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. artikler
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/edb34d5de31bff6c889dce60ca5b0419
id:
605aaebce61516ad941c29ba9c29d509
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023011948066
title:
Hiihtovaellus etelänavalle : eräretki Roald Amundsenin jäljissä
creators:
1 results
1. Aasheim, Stein P.
year:
2014
publisher:
Gummerus
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. fin
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_2023011948066_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/605aaebce61516ad941c29ba9c29d509
id:
44c0bb8c8cdba193ff095b68956e8b9f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014120108034
title:
Roald Amundsen
creators:
1 results
1. Thyvold, Hans Olav
year:
2010
publisher:
Font 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_2014120108034_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/44c0bb8c8cdba193ff095b68956e8b9f
id:
05ceb748c2171ed35942fd023f5c5cd5
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009082101018
title:
Roald Dahls svarte bok
creators:
3 results
1. Dahl, Roald
2. Gabrielsen, Berit Marianne
3. Olsen, Arne Thomas
year:
1993
publisher:
Ungdomsbokklubben
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_2009082101018_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/05ceb748c2171ed35942fd023f5c5cd5
id:
4ed22a32dc1f62c898f4c5dcd71228f0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010062906038
title:
Roald Amundsen som han var
creators:
1 results
1. Arnesen, Odd
year:
1946
publisher:
Gyldendal
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2010062906038_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4ed22a32dc1f62c898f4c5dcd71228f0
id:
7d87bda5d66f832ed9ef768e0a29d1ae
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007031301069
title:
Roald Amundsens opdagelsesreiser. B. 2 : Sydpolen
creators:
1 results
1. Amundsen, Roald
year:
1942
publisher:
Gyldendal
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007031301069_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7d87bda5d66f832ed9ef768e0a29d1ae
id:
8f9da5ca7915010e0f8fef08afd6f672
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007011001037
title:
Roald Amundsens opdagelsesreiser. B. 3 : Nordostpassasjen
creators:
1 results
1. Amundsen, Roald
year:
1942
publisher:
Gyldendal
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
yes
license:
publicdomain
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007011001037_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8f9da5ca7915010e0f8fef08afd6f672
id:
e0631f4fa7a34a719bbe0866b549b258
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014042808025
title:
Roald Amundsen : slekt og miljø
creators:
1 results
1. Veel, Haakon A.
year:
1962
publisher:
I kommisjon hos Sem
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_2014042808025_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e0631f4fa7a34a719bbe0866b549b258
id:
9cb7142f62d7f457a553418c89822ca3
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020042148560
title:
Oppover : Roald Amundsens spektakulære luftferder
creators:
1 results
1. Ousland, Bjørn
year:
2018
publisher:
Cappelen Damm
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_2020042148560_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9cb7142f62d7f457a553418c89822ca3
id:
7f109e8197dab909ac3f3047e0e2e29b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013041106040
title:
Kjell Ola Dahls beste
creators:
1 results
1. Dahl, Kjell Ola
year:
2007
publisher:
Gyldendal
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_2013041106040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7f109e8197dab909ac3f3047e0e2e29b

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.