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 2026-09-25T16:59:26Z in 0.198 seconds.

total:

176806

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
7abc7b272bd426a3e0a103a5b72c1ecb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007052201072
title:
Johannes Steen : opposisjonspolitikaren
creators:
1 results
1. Sunnanå, Olav
year:
1966
publisher:
Samlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. 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_2007052201072_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7abc7b272bd426a3e0a103a5b72c1ecb
id:
1f42ff8db50b8da0079e3bd438ab1cfc
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013071008130
title:
Sverre Steen : sosialdemokratiets historieforteller
creators:
1 results
1. Kobberrød, Jan Thomas
year:
2004
publisher:
Institutt for historie og klassiske fag, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
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_2013071008130_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1f42ff8db50b8da0079e3bd438ab1cfc
id:
5ac7e2c42faf86fb25b5bb5ddf4e330e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2019052107090
title:
Imperial art as Christian art - Christian art as imperial art : expression and meaning in art and architecture from Constantine to Justinian
creators:
2 results
1. Brandt, J. Rasmus (Johann Rasmus)
2. Steen, Olaf
year:
2002
publisher:
Bardi
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
4 results
1. eng
2. mul
3. fre
4. ita
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_2019052107090_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5ac7e2c42faf86fb25b5bb5ddf4e330e
id:
59d99017dba4f949c2e312e50f429c0a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012102608160
title:
All about blowout
creators:
1 results
1. Westergaard, Rich. H.
year:
1987
publisher:
Norwegian Oil Review
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_2012102608160_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/59d99017dba4f949c2e312e50f429c0a
id:
de484f33ff6e87b42997c5af5ed74eae
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008081210004
title:
Om Mynt-Konventionen og Mynt-Cirkulationen 1873 og 1875
creators:
1 results
1. Reiss, Gust. Rich
year:
1875
publisher:
not reported by source
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_2008081210004_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/de484f33ff6e87b42997c5af5ed74eae
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
id:
bfcd870f4586a16bb7e5a29a6e854f9d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024052283003_001
title:
The The Little book on fouling (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). 2015
creators:
1 results
1. Steen-Hansen AS
year:
2015
publisher:
Steen-Hansen
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_2024052283003_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bfcd870f4586a16bb7e5a29a6e854f9d
id:
62fb8aca55a3056f21102176973a0db1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012110708056
title:
Ladestedet Stenkjær : historisk oversigt udgivet i anledning af Stenkjærs 50-aarsjubilæum
creators:
2 results
1. Weigner, Rich
2. Gotaas, B.
year:
1977
publisher:
[Foreningen Gamle Steinkjer]
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_2012110708056_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/62fb8aca55a3056f21102176973a0db1
id:
3fcca4ce876b3286e3d4309e05b03f22
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2026081048076
title:
Ladestedet Stenkjær : historisk oversigt udgivet i anledning af Stenkjærs 50-aarsjubilæum
creators:
2 results
1. Weigner, Rich
2. Gotaas, B.
year:
1907
publisher:
Stenkjær Avis forlag
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_2026081048076_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3fcca4ce876b3286e3d4309e05b03f22
id:
a130e7fdbff95760312b79b5f7a63a41
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024052283009_001
title:
The The Little book on fouling (UK/Shetland - Ireland). 2016
creators:
1 results
1. Steen-Hansen AS
year:
2016
publisher:
Steen-Hansen
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_2024052283009_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a130e7fdbff95760312b79b5f7a63a41

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.