Try to get your local community involved by having display shows. Most communities have collectors that live there. If you have a patron that collects comic book/manga related items you could ask them to put on a day show. If you can’t think of a patron that collects anything you can ask around and possibly find someone within your community, from another person, to put on a display. By having someone outside of your library’s patronage put on a show, you could possibly gain patronage from that person and if he talks to other people they might come in and start using the library.
When you approach them he or she might be a little hesitant, but be persistent. Most collectors love to show off their collection whenever they can. You can have them come in early to set up and then have them stay if they can, to answer questions about their collection. They could then take it down at the end of the day. If they can’t stay during the day, reassure him or her that the collection will be protected.
The library could have a give away for the show as well that could be drawn for at the end of the showing. You might even get a donation from the person who owns the display if they have any duplicate collectibles to use as a give away.
This show could be held at anytime of the year. If you have multiple people that have collections you could do multiple day shows. For instance, one person could just do American comic books, another could be into Japanese manga, or they might collect a specific character. One of the best days a library could have this would be on Free Comic Book Day. You can have patrons visit the show and then at the end of the room as they leave give out one or two free comic books.