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 2026-09-26T14:28:19Z in 0.225 seconds.

total:

541873

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
e19bad62739fd1ee5a7cbdb7b0d92565
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023051180087_003
title:
TT. 1954 Vol. 9 Nr. 3
creators:
2 results
1. Norsk telegraf- og telefonforbund
2. Telefolkenes fellesforbund
year:
1954
publisher:
Telefolkenes fellesforbund
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_2023051180087_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/e19bad62739fd1ee5a7cbdb7b0d92565
id:
eed7b86f0c811a7fa579a1576ab52a31
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2023051280052_004
title:
TT. 1950 Vol. 5 Nr. 4
creators:
2 results
1. Norsk telegraf- og telefonforbund
2. Telefolkenes fellesforbund
year:
1950
publisher:
Telefolkenes fellesforbund
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_2023051280052_004_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/eed7b86f0c811a7fa579a1576ab52a31
id:
b08cd4ef4eff9feb621ccc8362b75d7f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013060608033
title:
Frakt under havet : av Arthur Miller
creators:
2 results
1. Skare, Olav Torbjørn
2. Nationaltheatret
year:
2002
publisher:
Nationaltheatret
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_2013060608033_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b08cd4ef4eff9feb621ccc8362b75d7f
id:
a6903cfad844ba7dd096a0ba69832807
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022102048040
title:
Schenker AS: 100 år i Norge : 1916-2016
creators:
2 results
1. Spurkeland, Einar
2. Hamnøy, Odd
year:
2016
publisher:
Schenker AS
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_2022102048040_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/a6903cfad844ba7dd096a0ba69832807
id:
46cf9dffbebf24a21e7f2572cb9ed326
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016101248033
title:
Sjøtransport og skipsfartsøkonomikk. 2 : Kostnadsteorien : Frakt- og tonnasjeprisdannelsen
creators:
1 results
1. Svendsen, Arnljot Strømme
year:
1956
publisher:
Samfunnsøkonomisk institutt ved Norges handelshøyskole
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_2016101248033_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/46cf9dffbebf24a21e7f2572cb9ed326
id:
27c8247758a6b62906416a298ec43aca
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013050705104
title:
Kristian Holst AS : en bedriftshistorikk fra 1863 til i dag
creators:
2 results
1. Holst, Kristian
2. Kristian Holst AS
year:
2010
publisher:
Kristian Holst
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_2013050705104_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/27c8247758a6b62906416a298ec43aca
id:
65f910e20c057b9e00629080ba80d67c
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2022102648132
title:
Livsverk : Bergene Holm AS 1946-2006
creators:
2 results
1. Wellberg, Finn
2. Bergene Holm AS
year:
2007
publisher:
Bergene Holm AS
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_2022102648132_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/65f910e20c057b9e00629080ba80d67c
id:
1f9f3495a5795fa1e9cdbd99dedbe667
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017110748184
title:
Birger Svendsgaard dampskipsekspedisjon AS : 130 år
creators:
1 results
1. Birger Svendsgaard dampskipsekspedisjon
year:
1997
publisher:
[Skipsekspedisjonen]
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
1 results
1. nob
county:
Trøndelag
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_2017110748184_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/1f9f3495a5795fa1e9cdbd99dedbe667
id:
b5fa0bd18e33e2f5dac92ef21ee97477
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023011048089
title:
100 år med vann i rør og i spann : Sande vannverk AS
creators:
2 results
1. Aaserud, Lars
2. Sande vannverk AS
year:
2022
publisher:
Sande vannverk AS
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_2023011048089_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b5fa0bd18e33e2f5dac92ef21ee97477
id:
afb5d1275bccec9e43fc0b05c85067ac
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011012003036
title:
Trondheim verft AS
creators:
1 results
1. Andreassen, Elin
year:
2009
publisher:
Tapir akademisk forl.
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. nob
2. mul
3. pol
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_2011012003036_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/afb5d1275bccec9e43fc0b05c85067ac

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.