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 2026-09-27T02:18:15Z in 0.217 seconds.

total:
1768
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    edd9c8c051e7c2ddb9e40d96c4c91813
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017121808162
    title:
    Kostnadsdekkende husleie? : om kommunale utleieboliger, husleienivå og teknisk standard/vedlikehold
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Jerkø, Sidsel
    2. Edvardsen, Dag Fjeld
    year:
    2011
    publisher:
    SINTEF byggforsk
    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_2017121808162_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/edd9c8c051e7c2ddb9e40d96c4c91813
  2. id:
    25feb82007a0d6437d28f8fd64b8a59d
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20161216_0_047_1
    title:
    Steinkjer-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20161216
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20161216_0_047_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/25feb82007a0d6437d28f8fd64b8a59d
  3. id:
    4f9c663bf6cd37420f33102854a096be
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20231213_0_290_1
    title:
    Trønder-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20231213
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_tronderavisa_null_null_20231213_0_290_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/4f9c663bf6cd37420f33102854a096be
  4. id:
    3008f51b8a097776d2be49d8bffb7e5e
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20180126_0_5_1
    title:
    Steinkjer-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20180126
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20180126_0_5_1-01_001_seksjonsnavn/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/3008f51b8a097776d2be49d8bffb7e5e
  5. id:
    7a5145378ba078c1fcab5a42f5c19f79
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20231215_0_47_1
    title:
    Steinkjer-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20231215
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20231215_0_47_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/7a5145378ba078c1fcab5a42f5c19f79
  6. id:
    2343e750629170a544efa229f06bf179
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20241101_0_255_1
    title:
    Trønder-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20241101
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_tronderavisa_null_null_20241101_0_255_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2343e750629170a544efa229f06bf179
  7. id:
    be7d1b8b2fab5ea5fc68a17d884249d4
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20241019_0_244_1
    title:
    Trønder-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20241019
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_tronderavisa_null_null_20241019_0_244_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/be7d1b8b2fab5ea5fc68a17d884249d4
  8. id:
    b617f2725b3735a3433e781a8a1e26e7
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20201113_0_266_1
    title:
    Trønder-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20201113
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_tronderavisa_null_null_20201113_0_266_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/b617f2725b3735a3433e781a8a1e26e7
  9. id:
    fe6a7c2412f90b9161d7f9d6d8d0c1dd
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20180608_0_23_1
    title:
    Steinkjer-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20180608
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20180608_0_23_1-01_001_seksjonsnavn/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/fe6a7c2412f90b9161d7f9d6d8d0c1dd
  10. id:
    8436402c7924b4cc3b6f9ae89f13f803
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20160219_0_007_1
    title:
    Steinkjer-Avisa
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    20160219
    publisher:
    not reported by source
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. aviser
    languages:

    1 results

    1. Norsk bokmål
    county:
    Trøndelag
    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_steinkjeravisa_null_null_20160219_0_007_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/8436402c7924b4cc3b6f9ae89f13f803
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.