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 2026-09-26T22:30:02Z in 0.223 seconds.

total:

173926

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
1a007791d7cc740887dbe65d4bb23279
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014062707182
title:
Material Works : avgangskatalog : bachelor kunstfag
creators:
2 results
1. Material Works (utstilling)
2. Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2008
publisher:
Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo
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_2014062707182_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1a007791d7cc740887dbe65d4bb23279
id:
27438ba9ea41bfd04472d09397a08a41
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182009_001
title:
AHO works : research catalogue .... 2012
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2012
publisher:
Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182009_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/27438ba9ea41bfd04472d09397a08a41
id:
b70e0d081bf0a5fe1fcfda9f0177b56c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182008_001
title:
AHO works : research catalogue .... 2013
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2013
publisher:
Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182008_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b70e0d081bf0a5fe1fcfda9f0177b56c
id:
30972b8f5e1a75f93c6abd2bab3a2fa2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025031983134_001
title:
AHO works : research catalogue .... 2008
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2008
publisher:
Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025031983134_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/30972b8f5e1a75f93c6abd2bab3a2fa2
id:
fb8eacd29ae05bfa01b05f7e4d5d7418
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025031983135_001
title:
AHO works : research catalogue .... 2009
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2009
publisher:
Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025031983135_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/fb8eacd29ae05bfa01b05f7e4d5d7418
id:
54d4d6563d6c945eca005b372c1e3764
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025031983133_001
title:
AHO works : research catalogue .... 2007
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2007
publisher:
Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025031983133_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/54d4d6563d6c945eca005b372c1e3764
id:
b5e6d0c3839762299eb414aceebc37fe
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182004_001
title:
AHO works studies. 2017/2018
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2017
publisher:
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182004_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b5e6d0c3839762299eb414aceebc37fe
id:
a0220eb4c80bfe26ac072c3058479656
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182006_001
title:
AHO works studies. 2012/2013
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2012
publisher:
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182006_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a0220eb4c80bfe26ac072c3058479656
id:
5226b05409dd784bd42e2cc8af26f138
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182005_001
title:
AHO works studies. 2015/2016
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2015
publisher:
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182005_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5226b05409dd784bd42e2cc8af26f138
id:
d8977c1fde3ba82f77e3b6b00a1105c0
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025041182003_001
title:
AHO works studies. 2013/2014
creators:
1 results
1. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
year:
2013
publisher:
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng
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_2025041182003_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d8977c1fde3ba82f77e3b6b00a1105c0

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.