With so much questionable global information on the Internet, a student heading abroad can find it hard to get their facts straight.

But now students can find information such as maps, exchange rates and current health issues on www.msuglobalaccess.net.

The search engine is run by MSU's International Studies and Programs and can aid students in their travels this summer. The information might also be useful to students doing global research, said Jay Rodman, special productions coordinator for International Studies and Programs.

Rodman said one goal of the site is to provide resources for MSU students and faculty.

Columbia University and The New England Institute of Technology both have established links to the site, which is free to users.

More than 8,000 international resources have been annotated and inserted into the database, which has been growing and updated numerous times since the site's debut in February 2001.

During its original development four years ago, much of the information on the site was acquired because of advice from the diverse MSU faculty working on it, Rodman said.

He said developers relied on experts when compiling information.

"Many international faculty have been involved in the development of this site," he said.

Aside from so many different backgrounds and sources providing information for the Web site, all of the content MSU Global Access offers has been screened.

"It's a time-saver," said Steven Sowards, head of MSU's Main Library Reference. "The content has been evaluated and it's relevant to the students' search topic."

The site not only provides both basic and detailed information on countries and regions, but also the local news for the day. It provides links to major international and local news sources inside each of the countries on which they have information.

It comes in handy for students like Kevin Rowe, who is traveling abroad in the fall.

"I would find something like MSU Global Access helpful because it has such a vast variety about information on things I'll need to know about," said the computer science junior, who will be traveling to Thailand to study business.

"I'll probably use it to research the culture there because I don't want to do anything wrong."

The Global Access Web site is included in the Study Abroad student handbook, but will soon be receiving more publicity and use, said Kathleen Fairfax, director of the Office of Study Abroad.

Fairfax said MSU Global Access was used as part of a criminal justice study abroad to Australia program last year.

"We will be marketing (MSU Global Access) to more study abroad programs starting this fall in order to enhance it," Fairfax said. "It is a great resource and is underutilized."

And Rodman said the Web site can keep students informed on a world that is sometimes hard to keep up with.

"In today's fast and changing world, we seek to provide access to information people need to know to understand what is going on," he said.