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 2026-09-28T00:10:01Z in 0.239 seconds.

total:

4955

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
fb7f30ee1d222adcd8df7dbf665882b9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2019020881003_001
title:
Steinkjer-Saga : kultur- og lokalhistorisk magasin for Steinkjer. 2001 Vol. 11 Nr. 2
creators:
1 results
1. Foreningen Gamle Steinkjer
year:
2001
publisher:
Foreningen Gamle Steinkjer.
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_2019020881003_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/fb7f30ee1d222adcd8df7dbf665882b9
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
id:
3291cb27ca21060b5ee2cccb2b2a4777
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020090107148
title:
Trygghet for barnefamilier i kommunale utleieboliger
creators:
2 results
1. Elvegård, Kurt
2. NTNU samfunnsforskning
year:
2016
publisher:
NTNU samfunnsforskning
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_2020090107148_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/3291cb27ca21060b5ee2cccb2b2a4777
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
id:
ffb8df64f0373b3f41b3f6b4d712ecac
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013071808014
title:
Boligsosial planlegging og det kommunale plansystemet
creators:
2 results
1. Nørve, Siri
2. Boligsosial planlegging og det kommunale plansystemet (prosjekt)
year:
2012
publisher:
Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning
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_2013071808014_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/ffb8df64f0373b3f41b3f6b4d712ecac
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
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
id:
108643c806639931dcf9b68ec7c9e831
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20141128_0_277_1
title:
Trønder-Avisa
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20141128
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_20141128_0_277_1-1_001_null/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/108643c806639931dcf9b68ec7c9e831
id:
492fe246b74ac0a96296d4ca1434bca6
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digavis_tronderavisa_null_null_20221230_0_304_1
title:
Trønder-Avisa
creators:
not reported by source
year:
20221230
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_20221230_0_304_1-1_001_hovedavis/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/492fe246b74ac0a96296d4ca1434bca6
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

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.