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 2026-10-03T09:23:41Z in 0.244 seconds.

total:
38079
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    ef6b96e98cc00b83cd152a1aa013c875
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2026031107001
    title:
    Snøhetta : people, process, projects
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Snøhetta AS
    year:
    2015
    publisher:
    Forl. Press
    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_digibok_2026031107001_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ef6b96e98cc00b83cd152a1aa013c875
  2. id:
    182a3937c895eae08a89a85f9a37f317
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2014021724009
    title:
    Hus som vil meg hysa : Snøhetta og det umerkeleg monumentale
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Fløgstad, Kjartan
    2. Snøhetta AS
    year:
    2004
    publisher:
    Samlaget
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    languages:

    1 results

    1. 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_2014021724009_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/182a3937c895eae08a89a85f9a37f317
  3. id:
    91b35056a202bc3bf37065ad26bdde42
    urn:
    not reported by source
    title:
    Snøhetta works - a conversation on site design
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Holst Laursen, Lea
    2. Osuldsen, Jenny B.
    3. Lanng, Ditte Bendix
    year:
    2018
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. artikler
    languages:

    1 results

    1. eng
    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/91b35056a202bc3bf37065ad26bdde42
  4. id:
    ab9de4d876088a735dcecf5aee1a26a1
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023021483026_001
    title:
    Oslo design fair. 2023
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Oslo design fair
    year:
    2023
    publisher:
    Oslo design fair
    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_2023021483026_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/ab9de4d876088a735dcecf5aee1a26a1
  5. id:
    f9a3f6a95758168f0477ced4bda183e9
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022092783204_001
    title:
    Oslo design fair. 2022 4
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Oslo design fair
    year:
    2022
    publisher:
    Oslo design fair
    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_2022092783204_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/f9a3f6a95758168f0477ced4bda183e9
  6. id:
    78a0c0280717a678645951925ad204da
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024060680001_001
    title:
    Oslo design fair. januar 2020 1
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Oslo design fair
    year:
    2020
    publisher:
    Oslo design fair
    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_2024060680001_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/78a0c0280717a678645951925ad204da
  7. id:
    304a0061e0c6464249e6b8b2ab049745
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024060680001_002
    title:
    Oslo design fair. januar 2021 2
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Oslo design fair
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Oslo design fair
    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_2024060680001_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/304a0061e0c6464249e6b8b2ab049745
  8. id:
    167d46536fca51a0b5e8ed75c00f0035
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024060680001_003
    title:
    Oslo design fair. september 2021 3
    creators:

    1 results

    1. Oslo design fair
    year:
    2021
    publisher:
    Oslo design fair
    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_2024060680001_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/167d46536fca51a0b5e8ed75c00f0035
  9. id:
    b6a58de80703afe8243c27f64d0a9105
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020120706035
    title:
    Horisont Snøhetta
    creators:

    3 results

    1. Flemsæter, Frode
    2. Gundersen, Vegard
    3. Rønningen, Katrina
    year:
    2013
    publisher:
    Norsk senter for bygdeforskning
    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_2020120706035_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/b6a58de80703afe8243c27f64d0a9105
  10. id:
    854522d929394e762fdf6658bfd28a7f
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020091848609
    title:
    Lean methodology in design and construction : experiences from the project : Bergen Academy of Art & Design - KHiB
    creators:

    7 results

    1. Holm, Hans Thomas
    2. Snøhetta AS
    3. Universitetet i Bergen Fakultet for kunst, musikk og design
    4. Johansen, Per Roger
    5. Wertebach, Sven
    6. Kunst- og designhøgskolen i Bergen
    7. Veen, Astrid Renata van
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Ad notam
    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_digibok_2020091848609_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/854522d929394e762fdf6658bfd28a7f
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
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

  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.