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 2026-09-28T03:23:09Z in 0.267 seconds.

total:

83095

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
66032d56037aa672ac12a2056959f710
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2022042183044_001
title:
Kirken i Oslo. 2020
creators:
1 results
1. Kirkelig fellesråd i Oslo
year:
2020
publisher:
Kirkelig fellesråd i Oslo
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_2022042183044_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/66032d56037aa672ac12a2056959f710
id:
8bb5b54038593caf4dd018032f38d8d2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2025120248058
title:
Spir under Fonnfjellet : Meråker kirke gjennom 150 år
creators:
3 results
1. Smørvik, Arne Magnus
2. Meråker kirke
3. Meråker menighetsråd
year:
2025
publisher:
Meråker menighetsråd
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Trøndelag
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_2025120248058_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8bb5b54038593caf4dd018032f38d8d2
id:
8e31820f872307a9ccbec597e3d14678
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061681005_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 2013 Nr. 4
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
2013
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061681005_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/8e31820f872307a9ccbec597e3d14678
id:
7343259959390d7929931f2940b7bac9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023041180079_006
title:
Det Nye Oslo. 1989 Vol. 1 Nr. 8
creators:
4 results
1. Oslo Innvandreretaten
2. Oslo Flyktning- og innvandreretaten
3. Oslo Sekretariatet for flyktninger og innvandrere
4. Oslo Flyktninge- og innvandreretaten
year:
1989
publisher:
Oslo kommune, Flyktninge- og innvandreretaten
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_2023041180079_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/7343259959390d7929931f2940b7bac9
id:
5b0379a8f9158251a49b42b0b53b923b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981052_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 1990 Nr. 2
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
1990
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981052_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5b0379a8f9158251a49b42b0b53b923b
id:
4e140e4aae0bd7a0834633ab6599059b
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981100_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 1955 Nr. 3
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
1955
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981100_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/4e140e4aae0bd7a0834633ab6599059b
id:
a779b2b7672df3fbacd2acaadec076aa
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017053081067_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 1965 Nr. 2
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
1965
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017053081067_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a779b2b7672df3fbacd2acaadec076aa
id:
5f9edbbacc5241e0b2aa4883c4737604
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022021409768
title:
Oslo-planen
creators:
1 results
1. Skolesjefen i Oslo
year:
1990
publisher:
Skolestyret
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_2022021409768_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/5f9edbbacc5241e0b2aa4883c4737604
id:
d3804de4b9e4db0c6885f22836f66348
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981134_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 1980 Nr. 3
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
1980
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017061981134_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d3804de4b9e4db0c6885f22836f66348
id:
e72acd75a015b44f0239ff458213f73c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017053081047_001
title:
Byminner (Oslo : trykt utg.) : tidsskrift for Oslo museum. 1960 Nr. 1
creators:
2 results
1. Oslo bymuseum
2. Oslo museum
year:
1960
publisher:
Oslo museum
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbync
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2017053081047_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e72acd75a015b44f0239ff458213f73c

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.