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 2026-10-02T16:19:07Z in 0.257 seconds.

total:

43330

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
36a12723a2acab8f2475d43438305f3d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022102448042
title:
AS kontorfunktionærenes forenings byggeselskap : et godt hjem i 100 år : 1922-2022
creators:
1 results
1. Christensen, Henrik Melgaard
year:
2022
publisher:
Mot forlag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Oslo
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_2022102448042_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/36a12723a2acab8f2475d43438305f3d
id:
40c1c9f42de1730cdb5f0020a8864b5d
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008091100001
title:
Elverum by og firmaet : 1935-2000
creators:
4 results
1. Sæter, Olav
2. Yngvar Christensen AS
3. Mikkelsen, Oddmund
4. Skauge, Halvard
year:
1999
publisher:
[Yngvar Christensen AS]
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_2008091100001_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/40c1c9f42de1730cdb5f0020a8864b5d
id:
caf7d997a6a0a7562281b1fd62abb37a
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023061980015_043
title:
Moderne transport (Oslo : 1989-) : logistikk i praksis. 2007 Vol. 39 Nr. 3
creators:
1 results
1. Bjørgu AS
year:
2007
publisher:
Bjørgu AS
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_2023061980015_043_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/caf7d997a6a0a7562281b1fd62abb37a
id:
70b3139f186ed9b5994cc313618442eb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmonografi_000024075
title:
Det første sifferet
creators:
2 results
1. Rudberg, Denise
2. Punktum forlagstjenester AS
year:
2023
publisher:
Bonnier norsk forlag
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_pliktmonografi_000024075_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/70b3139f186ed9b5994cc313618442eb
id:
26e5014960c79ec476db1754dfaccae1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024121983132_001
title:
Livelife : Nordens største magasin om naturlig helse. 2024 Nr. 4
creators:
1 results
1. Life Scandinavia AS
year:
2024
publisher:
OTW
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_2024121983132_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/26e5014960c79ec476db1754dfaccae1
id:
0b6d5e7f1081698040bf0113800bc1c7
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2014110480002_001
title:
Bedre kontakt. 1973 Vol. 10 Nr. 1
creators:
1 results
1. Harald A. Møller AS
year:
1973
publisher:
Harald A. Møller A/S
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2014110480002_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/0b6d5e7f1081698040bf0113800bc1c7
id:
1bfae310796ea03d31a345800414f1eb
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2014101481020_001
title:
Kjør bedre : magasin for Volkswagen- og Audi-eiere. 1960/1974 Vol. 1-15
creators:
not reported by source
year:
1960
publisher:
Harald A. Møller
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2014101481020_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1bfae310796ea03d31a345800414f1eb
id:
f1869f8be04e113a4e6093cca1d5d8c2
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2025051648043
title:
Det hende i Telemark : historier om dåd og udåd fortalt i Varden. 5
creators:
1 results
1. Ulvenes, Halvor
year:
2022
publisher:
Eldhuset AS
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nno
county:
Telemark
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_2025051648043_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f1869f8be04e113a4e6093cca1d5d8c2
id:
2bf150389eef4f4b31361b444f661146
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013050708011
title:
Ås-bygda rundt. [1]
creators:
1 results
1. Røed, Liv
year:
1992
publisher:
Ås Historielag
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Akershus
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_2013050708011_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/2bf150389eef4f4b31361b444f661146
id:
a7e283fe0dbb12a963a33c42a5a07795
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061980074_011
title:
Coop medlem (trykt utg.). mai 2020 Nr. 3
creators:
4 results
1. Coop Norge handel
2. Coop Norge SA
3. Coop Norge AS
4. Coop NKL Medlemsavdelingen
year:
2020
publisher:
Coop Norge SA
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. nno
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
ccbyncnd
viewability:
ALL
access_allowed_from:
EVERYWHERE
thumbnail:
https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061980074_011_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a7e283fe0dbb12a963a33c42a5a07795

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.