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.

ParameterRequirementJSON typeDescription
qrequiredstringFree-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
media_typeoptionalunionRestrict 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.
languageoptionalunionLanguage 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.
countyoptionalunionNorwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
year_fromoptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
year_tooptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
digital_onlyoptionalbooleanOnly items that have been digitized.
sortoptionalunionOne of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
pageoptionalintegerZero-based page index.
sizeoptionalintegerResults per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
limitoptionalintegerGateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
offsetoptionalintegerNumber 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.

Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
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.
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.
Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.
Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
Type: integer. Zero-based page index.
Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-09-27T07:59:00Z in 0.208 seconds.

total:
258228
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    11717bf96f10a061c16e3ca93c58bf14
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011090108258
    title:
    Dør & vindu
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Optimera proff
    year:
    2006
    publisher:
    Optimera proff
    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_2011090108258_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/11717bf96f10a061c16e3ca93c58bf14
  2. id:
    9ecbcc43bbabb8725ca0165b0cc7f9db
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013121908005
    title:
    Nye energikrav
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Optimera proff
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Optimera proff
    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_2013121908005_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/9ecbcc43bbabb8725ca0165b0cc7f9db
  3. id:
    1bf21a8301748e7d4a83a70d3f816173
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009011504122
    title:
    Proff i England
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Siem, Kjetil
    year:
    1997
    publisher:
    Gyldendal
    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_2009011504122_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/1bf21a8301748e7d4a83a70d3f816173
  4. id:
    ac0d6c5898467cfe3b883f6400333118
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017011048011
    title:
    Media reception : PROFF papers
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Nordic Programme for Research Education in Media and Communication Studies
    year:
    1993
    publisher:
    Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo
    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_2017011048011_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ac0d6c5898467cfe3b883f6400333118
  5. id:
    2c6c79e205a5201669934df5dff236f5
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007070401098
    title:
    Proff i verdens hardeste liga
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Aas, Einar
    year:
    1982
    publisher:
    Gyldendal
    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_2007070401098_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2c6c79e205a5201669934df5dff236f5
  6. id:
    d8ac4d03bcb4dbbee1af43218ec13aee
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012120738025
    title:
    Sandberg AS : 50 år med direkte markedsføring : 1958-2008
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Nordli, Øyvind
    2. CDG Sandberg
    year:
    2008
    publisher:
    Sandberg
    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_2012120738025_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/d8ac4d03bcb4dbbee1af43218ec13aee
  7. id:
    7639f98501c0fb0e809df05a784fa20f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2009032504038
    title:
    Bygget skal opp : entreprenørselskapet AS Miljøbygg på Gjøvik 20 år
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Miljøbygg, AS
    year:
    2000
    publisher:
    Selskapet
    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_2009032504038_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/7639f98501c0fb0e809df05a784fa20f
  8. id:
    16041741163720c985f9b9f316b7e949
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000002477
    title:
    Utleieguiden : AS spesial
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Restad, Pål
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Prewa
    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_000002477_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/16041741163720c985f9b9f316b7e949
  9. id:
    08b925df12ac933e48913278e61e5d25
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022090948048
    title:
    En bedrift i hundre : Midt-norsk betong AS 1922-2022
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Segtnan, Vidar
    2. Midt-norsk betong AS
    year:
    2022
    publisher:
    Midt-norsk betong 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_2022090948048_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/08b925df12ac933e48913278e61e5d25
  10. 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
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
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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

  1. Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
  2. Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
  3. 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.