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 2026-09-26T16:10:42Z in 0.217 seconds.

total:

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
25214a922f516771d6a64d894f7e57b4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000031872
title:
Safety of autonomous navigation : a study on safety challenges for maritime autonomous surface ships, safe speed, and work as done by navigators
creators:
1 results
1. Dreyer, Leif Ole
year:
2023
publisher:
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business Administration and Social Sciences, Department of Maritime Studies
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
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_pliktmonografi_000031872_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/25214a922f516771d6a64d894f7e57b4
id:
9fe5cc0e436f7de5c6da28eea9af4874
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023051280038_016
title:
Telegraf og telefon (Oslo : 1931-1941) : organ for Norsk telegraf og telefonforbund. 1933 Vol. 3 Nr. 16
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk telegraf- og telefonforbund
year:
1933
publisher:
Norsk telegraf og telefonforbund
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023051280038_016_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/9fe5cc0e436f7de5c6da28eea9af4874
id:
ab82f99c7720d52a49e9505761a4dff8
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024030680012_002
title:
Pionér (ConocoPhillips Norge : 2009) : internmagasin for ConocoPhillips Norge. 2009 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. ConocoPhillips Norge
year:
2009
publisher:
ConocoPhillips
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_2024030680012_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ab82f99c7720d52a49e9505761a4dff8
id:
de80130ef4379b388d72f48f6cebe2f7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000007397
title:
Finnegans wake : fyrste bok, fyrste kapittel
creators:
1 results
1. Joyce, James
year:
2022
publisher:
Det norske samlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
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_000007397_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/de80130ef4379b388d72f48f6cebe2f7
id:
f60e330c64e36a9bfae5e2202db6bd30
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_nordlandsposten_null_null_19250619_65_143_1
title:
Nordlandsposten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19250619
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Nordland
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_nordlandsposten_null_null_19250619_65_143_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f60e330c64e36a9bfae5e2202db6bd30
id:
add6f08a23cf84f3bc37ce5745426dc4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024082180018_022
title:
Motorliv (Oslo). 1934 Vol. 11 Nr. 22
creators:
1 results
1. Kongelig norsk automobilklub
year:
1934
publisher:
KNA-forlaget
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. und
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024082180018_022_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/add6f08a23cf84f3bc37ce5745426dc4
id:
3828e10b437b6f6461cf7f3a21133e16
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_hadeland_null_null_20170607_100_107_1
title:
Hadeland
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20170607
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Innlandet
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_hadeland_null_null_20170607_100_107_1-1_01_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3828e10b437b6f6461cf7f3a21133e16
id:
50ed256ba85373d9bd7faa12116414b6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025022680032_002
title:
Motor-journalen : tidsskrift for automobil-, motorcykle-, teknik og sport. 1926 Vol. 4 Nr. 2
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1926
publisher:
Norsk motorforlag
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025022680032_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/50ed256ba85373d9bd7faa12116414b6
id:
c172a973964525e447590fff3a7caa55
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dennyesocialdemokraten_null_null_19250611_6_66_1
title:
Den nye social-demokraten
creators:
not reported by source
year:
19250611
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Oslo
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_dennyesocialdemokraten_null_null_19250611_6_66_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c172a973964525e447590fff3a7caa55
id:
0ab401696ee0e6845c74a97900828638
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_sandefjordsblad_null_null_20230612_0_132_1
title:
Sandefjords Blad
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20230612
publisher:
not reported by source
media_types:
1 results
1. aviser
languages:
1 results
1. Norsk bokmål
county:
Vestfold
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
LIBRARY
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_sandefjordsblad_null_null_20230612_0_132_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0ab401696ee0e6845c74a97900828638

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.