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 2026-09-29T02:32:58Z in 0.285 seconds.

total:

251770

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
416b39ea449518074e825793ed0d048a
urn:
not reported by source
title:
SCAN-forsk rapport
creators:
5 results
1. Skogsindustrins Tekniska Forskningsinstitut
2. Papirindustriens Forskningsinstitutt
3. Svenska Träforskningsinstitutet
4. Keskuslaboratorio
5. Centrallaboratorium
year:
not reported by source
publisher:
Skogsindustrins tekniska forskningsinstitut
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. eng nob swe
county:
not reported by source
digital:
no
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/416b39ea449518074e825793ed0d048a
id:
64bcc5616d6849118eda9b4fb4a9cad8
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Tapte mer enn 180 mill : Scan Geophysical gav kjempesmell for Pål Diskerud
creators:
1 results
1. Diskerud, Pål Richard
year:
2008
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/64bcc5616d6849118eda9b4fb4a9cad8
id:
edf194653dd8cbe86f3663dbe12a27e7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2012090608040
title:
Tilgjengelighet av komponenter med Boundary-Scan
creators:
1 results
1. Larsen, Bjørn B.
year:
1992
publisher:
SINTEF DELAB
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_2012090608040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/edf194653dd8cbe86f3663dbe12a27e7
id:
d9364ba662b0665d012e2e153c0140ad
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023022283006_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2022
creators:
1 results
1. ScanAid
year:
2022
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2023022283006_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d9364ba662b0665d012e2e153c0140ad
id:
9089aa6ceaac5817cfb4a1a4888bf515
urn:
not reported by source
title:
Har gjort vårt aller beste : bom på bom i milliardskandalen Scan Geophysical
creators:
2 results
1. Mellbye, Morten J.
2. Frigstad, Lars Johan
year:
2009
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/9089aa6ceaac5817cfb4a1a4888bf515
id:
ffa2efe2fb5fa8d4ca53986b65a6fd66
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022091983362_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2022 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. ScanAid
year:
2022
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2022091983362_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ffa2efe2fb5fa8d4ca53986b65a6fd66
id:
e74b9f4f3962beeb35971b315f1145f4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025112683043_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2025 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. ScanAid
year:
2025
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2025112683043_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e74b9f4f3962beeb35971b315f1145f4
id:
acd95b85e4d3138ea02b18dbd969ede9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024022783109_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2023 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. ScanAid
year:
2023
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2024022783109_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/acd95b85e4d3138ea02b18dbd969ede9
id:
211fc816554f5e5e575b2456828dadd4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2026050783034_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2025 Nr. 2
creators:
not reported by source
year:
2025
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2026050783034_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/211fc816554f5e5e575b2456828dadd4
id:
c4256176b1a10f784e1a75c408ba8ac2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024072683004_001
title:
Scan-Aid : schooling, care and nutrition. 2024 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. ScanAid
year:
2024
publisher:
ScanAid
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
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_digitidsskrift_2024072683004_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/c4256176b1a10f784e1a75c408ba8ac2

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.