Union members who work at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library said plans to cut up to 40 positions will severely hamper the library's mission.

With large budget cuts looming, library supporters won a fight to keep branches from closing quickly, but cuts had to be made somewhere, officials said.

"We're able to keep them open thanks to the mayor stepping in, but we need them to be properly staffed, not just open spaces, open buildings," said Michael Torres, president of the local library union.

"If we didn't make these changes now, we would be looking at a $4 million deficit in the next few years, and I'm not sure how we would make it up," said Becky Dixon, the library's chief financial officer.

Beginning next week, most branches will start a reduced schedule where many will be closed an extra day each week.

The library expects to save $1.5 million because of the cuts.

More: Marion County Library New Hours