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 2026-09-26T16:09:53Z in 0.204 seconds.

total:

2188371

page:

size:

items:

10 results

id:
480f35310e004bfb7d938cbddeef0768
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011011103049
title:
Tall Ships Races Kristiansand : høye dager i Kristiansand
creators:
3 results
1. Jakobsen, Arild
2. Mediehuset Fædrelandsvennen
3. Tall Ships' Races (regatta)
year:
2010
publisher:
Mediehuset Fædrelandsvennen
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_2011011103049_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/480f35310e004bfb7d938cbddeef0768
id:
f0c38b0782685a07c3b44090727a611e
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011061605030
title:
The Tall Ships' Races 2008, Bergen : a voyage of self discovery
creators:
2 results
1. Senneset, Eivind
2. Tall Ships' Races (regatta)
year:
2008
publisher:
Cox
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_2011061605030_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/f0c38b0782685a07c3b44090727a611e
id:
04acbddcdc5d46e0cf87ae45cefbbac1
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2018062707229
title:
The Tall Ships Races Kristiansand : 25.-28. juli 2015
creators:
3 results
1. Kristiansen, Steinar
2. Kristiansen SRM
3. Tall Ships' Races (regatta)
year:
2015
publisher:
Kristiansen SRM
media_types:
1 results
1. bøker
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_2018062707229_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/04acbddcdc5d46e0cf87ae45cefbbac1
id:
732e6e5d7d7660e5dc4d664c0f9663fa
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024050883018_001
title:
Litteratur i tall. 2013
creators:
1 results
1. Norsk kulturråd
year:
2013
publisher:
Kulturrådet i kommisjon hos Fagbokforl.
media_types:
1 results
1. tidsskrift
languages:
3 results
1. eng
2. nob
3. mul
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_2024050883018_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/732e6e5d7d7660e5dc4d664c0f9663fa
id:
bddd63f9a88d67b0b4bc23e022a8d9c4
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024031380044_001
title:
Tall og figurer. 2009
creators:
1 results
1. Norfund
year:
2009
publisher:
Norfund
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_2024031380044_001_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/bddd63f9a88d67b0b4bc23e022a8d9c4
id:
b8ef8b903d0c3aacbfa1f9bc749f837f
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2024031380044_002
title:
Tall og figurer. 2010
creators:
1 results
1. Norfund
year:
2010
publisher:
Norfund
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_2024031380044_002_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/b8ef8b903d0c3aacbfa1f9bc749f837f
id:
d37ac3ae0310f795f3b1e3eeab987358
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmusikk_UPC_199350792168_01_0001
title:
As They Fill the Horizon - Tall Ship Races
creators:
3 results
1. Bøksle, Helene
2. Sødal, Torstein
3. Rasch, Bjørn Ole
year:
20250620
publisher:
Mockingbird Music AS
media_types:
1 results
1. musikk
languages:
1 results
1. eng
county:
not reported by source
digital:
yes
public_domain:
no
license:
copyrighted
viewability:
NONE
access_allowed_from:
NB
thumbnail:
not reported by source
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/d37ac3ae0310f795f3b1e3eeab987358
id:
55168c031554ca61efdd905d54cddfb9
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2023122148077
title:
Tall
creators:
2 results
1. Donaldson, Julia
2. Scheffler, Axel
year:
2012
publisher:
Gammafon
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_2023122148077_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/55168c031554ca61efdd905d54cddfb9
id:
dc719e2a956bdde5b0e5231aaf640b41
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007060101025
title:
Fra 40-tall til 70-tall : norsk prosa gjennom et kvart århundres etterkrigstid
creators:
1 results
1. Dahl, Willy
year:
1973
publisher:
Gyldendal
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_2007060101025_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/dc719e2a956bdde5b0e5231aaf640b41
id:
40360cf89dae5563729aee2696c5cb29
urn:
URN:NBN:no-nb_pliktmusikk_UPC_199350792168
title:
As They Fill the Horizon - Tall Ship Races
creators:
3 results
1. Bøksle, Helene
2. Sødal, Torstein
3. Rasch, Bjørn Ole
year:
20250620
publisher:
Mockingbird Music AS
media_types:
1 results
1. musikk
languages:
1 results
1. und
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_pliktmusikk_UPC_199350792168_image_001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
viewer_url:
https://www.nb.no/items/40360cf89dae5563729aee2696c5cb29

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.